A Different Path
by ScldHeart
Summary: On the night of the Kyuubi attack, Minato fell further away from where the Kyuubi was sealed inside of his daughter, Naruto. Such an oversight leads to the now named Hosha Naruto being brought to Iwa and adopted into the Bombe Clan. There the girl learns how to be a shinobi, all while forming ties with her brother Deidara and his family. BloodlineFemNaru-Formerly The Iwa Shinobi
1. Alpha

**_A Different Path (Adopted from Vangran, previously named The Iwa Shinobi)_**

 _On the night of the Kyuubi attack, Minato was placed further away from the altar where the Kyuubi was sealed inside of his daughter, Naruto. Naruto is found by a traveler and named Hosha Naruto, Radiant Whirlpool. The man recognizes her features as those of the Bomber Clan inside of Rock Country and takes her to the Clan's compound. Naruto is adopted by the clan head and becomes the little sister of Deidara, who is three years older than her. Naruto grows up in rock country, learning from her brother while also catching the eye of the Tschusikage. She becomes a Genin at age nine but doesn't get a Genin team due to complications with the Bomber Clan till she is eleven. Instead Naruto is taken in as the four-tailed demon monkey Roshi's apprentice. At the age of thirteen she and her team run into Team Seven while trying to make a deal with Gato of Wave. Naruto soon learns of Kyuubi, which sparks a chain of events leading to her parents realizing she is, in fact, alive._

 _"You opened my eyes to the pain in the world, you led me through the darkness with an open mind and heart. Now, it is my chance to show you that I can do the same for others like me."_

I~~~~I

The air was cool, whispers of the night drifting into a lone traveler's ear. He was in his late thirties, his greying brown hair kept out of his face by a blue beanie. He wore leather slacks and a blue obi top. Taking a quick drink from his canteen, the man looked around the wreckage he stood in. His brown eyes were slightly faded, his vision not what it used to be.

Still, he observed the trees thrown every which way, and the earie silence of the forest. He had seen the demon fox in the area, before a giant toad had tackled the fox and ensued a battle. Managing not to get smashed, the traveler had then proceeded to scan the battle sight after noticing a man on top of the giant toad, falling as his summon vanished.

A ninja no doubt about it, and more than likely he belonged to the Hidden Village of Fire Country. A soft wail broke the silence, the man's eyes darting around.

He ran towards the sound, heart beating erratically. He knew there had been a man, but the wailing noise was definitely that of a child. He pushed his beaten old body to go faster, following the noise of a child's wailing until he stumbled upon a clearing. In the clearing, set on a pedestal as though the child would be a sacrifice, was a baby girl. The man finally reached the altar, and kneeling to pick up the child, noticed that it was bare.

The man grunted and pulled out a blanket from his satchel, wrapping the poor baby. The baby was a girl with a head full of spiky blonde locks, the child's tan skin riddled with goosebumps from being exposed to the cold air.

Tanjun'na Ko was as his name said, a simple person. He had average looks, a simple lifestyle, and was a traveler. However, holding the little girl with oddly colored hair in his arms made him feel just a little bit more important. He gently rocked the child, as he had done for his younger siblings whenever his parents had asked. He pulled her closer into his arms, trying to make her warm.

The child slowly stopped crying, her eyes blinking themselves open. They stared at him, cheeks red and puffy from the little fit she had just had. "Shh…Don't worry, you aren't alone little one…"

He was shocked by her eyes though, a radiant cerulean that was definitely not of the area. The only place he knew to have blonde hair and blue eyes would be the Bomber Clan in Iwa, which wasn't too hard to believe. The Clan lived outside of the main village, and currently Tanjun was only a couple miles away from Rock Country borders. Brushing the little girl's hair aside once more, as it had gotten in her eyes, he smiled gently at her.

"Hosha Naruto…Radiant Malestorm." The girl blinked, before giggling softly at the name. She reached toward Tanjun, whom encased her hands with his free one.

"That sounds like a good name, huh?" The little girl giggled softly again, making Tanjun smile once more. "At least I know you won't be a simple child."

I~~~~I

It took two days for Tanjun to reach Rock Country, all the while carting the baby girl he had found on the battle field. He had spent a good percentage of his time trying to find the male he had originally meant to find, to no avail. After finally giving up, Tanjun had decided to head toward Rock Country, and deliver little Hosha Naruto to the Bomber Clan.

He knew very well that he couldn't care for the child, traveler that he was, and he also knew that the Bombers were the most likely to accept the girl, blood or not. The Bombers were a little crazed and sometimes considered as terrorists, however they cared for their young. The woman often became priestess', but some of them also became Kunoichi. Tanjun knew all this because he had been born in a Rock Country village, even if he now traveled around the Elemental Countries.

Now, he stood before the Bomber Clan Compound, Hosha tugging at his hair in her sling on his chest. He smiled down at the girl, sighing heavily. He was a simple man, and keeping the child was something he simply couldn't do. He removed the sling from his shoulders, holding the baby carefully as he walked up to the gate. He gently set the child down, leaving a letter on her chest, as well as a package filled with clothes and whatever else he could spare for the child.

"Shh…Goodbye little Hosha…Be safe." He reluctantly turned away from the little girl, knocking on the gate once before fleeing the sight. He knew the Clan would take the girl in, knew the little one was better off without a simple man like him. Still, he couldn't help but feel sad that he wouldn't see those blue orbs ever again.

I~~~~I

A little 3 year old boy with straight blonde hair and dark blue eyes grumbled under his breath as he heard the wrapping on the gate. It disappeared, but he still was obligated by his father to go check it out. He kicked at the ground with his sandals, scoffing lightly. He wore a grey obi, tied by a black sash. His ninja sandals made no sound as he walked along the dirt path, and his arms and legs were laced with reinforced fishnet. He opened the gate, looking around. His hands had black fingerless gloves on them, to hide his Kekai Genkai. He felt his eyebrow twitch when he saw no one.

The boy was about to leave, however a soft cry caught his attention. He looked around again, before finally looking at the foot of the gate. There lay a baby, looking no older than a few weeks, blonde locks covering its blue eyes. Several things lay around the child, but Deidara was quick to pick up the little girl before cataloging the rest.

A letter lay on the girl's stomach, and she sniffled in the boy's arms. Her blue eyes met Deidara's, making him lose focus on anything else. Even within his own clan, no one had eyes as bright as the little girl's. He rocked her, and turned to call into the compound. "Father!"

It wasn't long before a man with the same straight blonde locks and dark blue eyes came running over. His eyes skimmed Deidara's 'package'. He looked to the other items, and called for some servants. "Did you see who dropped of the child Deidara?"

Deidara shook his head at his father, whom sighed. His blue eyes caught the envelope, and he took it swiftly. The baby in Deidara's arms let out a soft squeak in surprise, but remained silent and continued to stare at Deidara as his father read the letter.

 _Dear Bomber Clan, I know this isn't exactly the best idea anyone would have, but I remembered the kindness your clan had shown me in my younger years when trying to help this child. Her name is Hosha Naruto, Radiant Whirlpool. I found her, and due to her resemblances to your clan, figured she may be yours. If she is not, please take care of her anyways. I was unable to find anyone who could be her family, and I myself cannot care for an infant. The road is no place for a baby. Take care of the girl, I feel she will be important one day._

Deidara stared at his father as the baby fell into slumber again, exhausted already. Deidara's father sighed again, and turned to the servants as they arrived. "We have a baby girl to take care of now…her name is Hosha Naruto and the person who left her in our care believes she may be part of our clan. Either way, we will take her in. I want you to gather the girl's items left at the gate, and set up Deidara's old nursery."

The servants nodded to him, letting out simultaneous 'Yes Head Rida.'s. Rida turned back to his son, and nodded at him so Deidara knew to follow him. "Come Deidara, we should tell your mother of the newest addition to the clan…"

While Tetsu Rida sounded firm to most people, to Deidara his father sounded slightly tired, and a little worried. Looking at the little girl in his arms, he knew why. They didn't have many children in the clan, the ones they did have mostly killed in the last war and with petty skirmishes against Iwagakure and its Tschuikage. Having a little girl was even rarer, and even more stressful. Still, Deidara felt an odd happiness at the thought of keeping Naruto.

I~~~~I

Deidara glared down at the boys in front of him, his long hair falling over one eye, a pony tail keeping the rest from veering his entire face. Behind him, clutching to the fabric of his obi was a little girl with spiky yellow hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a simple black kimono, a blue flower pinned in her hair. "Come on Deidara, stop protecting the baby!"

The whinish voice of the ten year old in front of the now eight year old Deidara made his ears twitch in annoyance. The boys behind Deidara let out hollers of 'Yah!', 'Do it!' and, 'Listen to him!' Deidara stood his ground, glaring at the older kids.

"No. Leave Naruto-Hime alone, un!"

Deidara yelled at them. They all glared right back at him, Naruto hiding herself further behind Deidara, hands gripping his robe even tighter. He cursed as the boys stepped closer, and moved into a Taijutsu stance.

" _Back off_!" The boy growled at the other kids, whom only laughed at him, the oldest and apparent leader of the bunch shifting his feet into his own stance.

"Shut up poser! Why do you care about the cry baby anyways?!"

Naru flinched at Deidara's side from the leader's comment, fueling Deidara's anger more. "As if I'd tell you, you don't deserve to know, un!"

Deidara continued to yell at the other boys in irritation. After speaking he moved quickly, Naru letting go of his robe so he could move freely.

In seconds, Deidara has slammed his fist into the 'leader's' face, sending him to the ground. Deidara dodge the other hits from the other children, sending a roundhouse into a boy's chest, and an elbow into another boy's gut. He slammed the last boy's face onto his knee, and kicked the leader right back into the ground when he tried to stand. Deidara only suffered a minor blow to his stomach, and now stood towering over the ten year olds.

"Leave Naruto-Hime alone, got it, un!"

He scoffed at their weakness, turning back to the little blonde girl. She ran up to him, hugging him around the waist. "T-Thanks Deidara-Ni."

Deidara smirked, and patted the mid-length blonde hair on the blue eyed girl's head. "No problem Naruto-Hime, un."

Naru pouted a bit at the name, but allowed her adopted brother to lead her away from the wounded ten year olds.

"What made you cry anyways, un?"

Deidara asked Naruto, whom fidgeted in her spot. She stopped, effectively making Deidara stop as well. She took a deep breath before speaking. "T-They said that your mom dying…w-was my fault…B-Because F-father h-had to take c-care of m-me…"

By the end she was tearing up again, Deidara's heart clenching. He moved and had crouched slight to hug the five year old to him within seconds.

"Shh Naruto-Hime, Mum's death wasn't your fault. It was those damn Leaf Nin, un!"

Naru nodded into his chest, rubbing away her tears as Deidara rubbed her back.

Around a year ago, Deidara's mother had gone on a mission. She was supposed to go with Deidara's father, Tetsu Rida, however Naruto had gotten ill and needed adult supervision. Lady Rida had perished on the mission at the hands of a Leaf Nin by the name of the Copy Nin, however many of the children who loved Lady Rida like their own mother had put the blame onto Naruto, since she had kept Head Rida from going on the mission with his wife.

Tetsu and Deidara both kept Naruto from believing the blatant lies however, neither blaming her. Still, it was rather hard for Deidara to constantly have to protect her.

"Naruto…Would you like to learn how to protect yourself? You can't have me saving you all the time you know…, un."

He decided now was the best time to bring up the topic, since he and his father had both been pondering over it. Naruto looked up at Deidara, slightly surprised he dropped his honorific for her, and confused as to why he'd offer to train her. However, her confusion faded, and a fire burned in her normally cool blue orbs.

"Y-Yeah. I'll kick t-their butts the next time they say something about Lady Rida!" By the time Naruto had finished speaking, she was pumped and ready to kick someone's ass. Deidara smile at his adopted little sister, hugging her again.

"Come on then. Just don't expect to be better right away, un."

I~~~~I

Naruto panted gently, her left arm swinging upward to block a strike from Rida. The man was teaching her a new Taijutsu style, and they had both been at it for an hour and a half.

Naruto still wasn't tired, and was quick to block and counter any strikes she was given, like now. She ducked under Rida's left leg, and elbowed his knee. He swerved out of the way, and she flipped backwards, landing in her Taijutsu stance. Rida paused, before settling into a regular standing position. "We're done Naruto, good work."

The slightly off man ruffled her hair, offering a slight smile before he walked back to the house, tossing a bottle of water at her when he reached the little alcove at the back. Naruto caught it, jumping a bit in surprise when two hands wrapped around her neck, a chin resting on her hair. "Training Naruto-Hime, un?"

Naruto smirked and elbowed Deidara in the ribs, catching him by surprise. He grunted, but didn't move. "Yah, I know, stupid question, un…" Naru looked up, only able to discern the long straight blond bangs that hung over Deidara's right eye. He smirked at her, and she smiled softly.

"Back already Dei? I thought the mission would take longer."

He chuckled and let her go, moving around so he was in front of her. He was a good foot and a half taller than her, and three years older. He was now thirteen, and she was ten. She was more advanced in her training, and had begun learning wind and lightning techniques after working on her chakra control.

Deidara worked on earth and lightning, as they were the components of his Kekai Genkai. He had two pouches at his sides, and wore his Iwagakure headband loosely around his head. His hair went to the bottom of his neck, and the back was pulled up into a pony tail by some bandages. He also had a necklace with a whirlpool charm on it hanging from his neck beside his dog tags. Naru had a similar necklace, only this one had a metal pendant that mimicked an explosion.

Naru wore black ninja sandals, two black pouches on her left leg and the right side of her hip, a grey battle kimono top, brown shorts, and a black belt around her waist, holding a Tanto and several shuriken and scrolls. Her hair was still short and spiky, the girl not wanting to let it grow long despite Rida and Deidara's comment on how pretty it would look. She also had her Iwa headband, only it was tied around her neck. She had gotten it not too long ago when the Tschusikage had finally made peace with the bomber clan, and helped them recreate the Explosion Corps.

While Naruto didn't have the explosion Kekai Genkai, she was very skilled in the little wind and lightning jutsu she knew, and she was excellent with weapons and Taijutsu. The Kage had taken a liking to both of them, and allowed Naru to graduate the Genin Academy in Iwagakure sooner than most. She still went to help and on the odd chance learn some more things, but mostly Rida or other clan members taught her.

Deidara also did when he wasn't on missions, which wasn't often since he had recently gained the rank of Chunin in the Chunin Exams at the Sand Village. Naru sadly couldn't participate in the exams since she still didn't have a Genin team yet. The Kage wanted to make sure that she had a team she could benefit from, and that could benefit from her. The teams were very well designed, and while there were few, the success rates were higher than any of the other counties.

Naruto sometimes wished she could just enter the explosion corps and work with her brother, however she didn't have the Kekai Genkai for it. Dei ruffled her hair, grinning at her as he led her toward the house. He was able to detect when she was dragging herself into what he deemed as her 'loner moments'. She was still socially awkward, mainly sticking around the compound and not really engaging in activities a normal ten year old, ninja or not, would. She was formal and addressed people in that way. She didn't play in the dirt or get very messy unless she was fighting, and didn't hold back unless asked. She didn't exactly fight fair, but she never injured someone enough to really harm their career. Still, Naru was Naru, and she would still joke and laugh with Dei and Rida.

Deidara groaned softly at the smell of food cooking, seared pork chops to be exact. His father was an excellent cook, and taught Dei and Naru how to take care of themselves. Lady Rida hadn't exactly been the best cook, so it had been essential. The fact that the family profession was going out on a highly dangerous job with an even higher mortality rate only made the need even more crucial.

Both children moved from the back door, removing their sandals before stepping into living room. They walked along the wood floors, toward the open countertop separating the dining room from the den. There was a row of shelves with a lattice back that blocked part of the kitchen from the dining room, and a picture window allowed natural light into the room.

The siblings sat at the table, where plates and chopsticks were laid out with napkins and bowls of rice and steamed vegetables rested in the middle of the oak table. The two sat on cushions laid on the ground, the table barely 8 inches off the ground. "Deidara, how was the visit with Lord Tschusikage?"

Rida walked into the dining room as he spoke, holding a plate of steaming pork chops. He set them on the table, sitting down himself. Naru picked up the bowl of rice and scooped some out, passing it to Deidara before grabbing the vegetables and meat, respectively plating and handing them to Deidara, who handed them to Rida.

"Good. He wants me to take the Jonin Exam, un."

Deidara finally replied to his father, just as Rida set down the bowl of rice.

"That's good. However, don't forget you still have your clan duties, as well as your village duties." Rida reminded Deidara.

"I know father, un." Deidara replied, earning a sigh at his normal ending fraise.

Naru didn't know when exactly her brother had picked up the habit, but she guessed right after Lady Rida died. She didn't know why he had stuck with it either, but it was nice when she needed know who was talking. She lifted some meat to her mouth and bit into it, chewing as she revealed over the heavenly taste.

Perfectly blended spices, the onion enhancing the pork and the garlic. That little bit of salt and pepper added a nice kick, as well as the pinch of Tai Chile powder Rida ground himself. Her family continued their chatter, eating as they did so. It was nice, and Naru felt happy with her family. It was hard after Lady Rida was gone, to feel anything other than pain or hatred. Now however, they still mourned her, just it was a little easier to be happy without feeling guilt.

I~~~~I

Blue eyes slipped closed, hands tightening around slim legs as pain filled gasps echoed in the area. Salty tears flowed across tanned cheeks, muted cries of 'why' and 'not him' sounding.

Naruto leaned back against the wall, gasping again as her body shook painfully. She felt her palms bleed as they curled into fists, her shaking body facing the bloody carnage before her.

Rain pounded against the windows outside, thunder booming, lighting up the dark compound. Several bodies lay in front of the girl, covered in blood. One's right hand lay outstretched to the shivering child, dirty blonde hair crusted with metallic smelling liquid.

"T-Tou-San…" The small child whispered brokenly at the man before her, another gasp leaving her lips as she felt blood slip over her eyes.

The cerulean orbs shut tightly, teeth digging into her palms. Her eyes opened once more to look at the blurry form of hands with mouths placed on them staring back at her. "Naru! Naruto where are you-!"

The shout drew Naru's attention to the boy standing in the doorway, covered in blood just like she was.

His eyes darted around the room, falling to the downed body of their father first, before his eyes darkened and he turned to her. Naruto flinched back, whimpering as she brought her hands to her head, shutting her eyes again.

Deidara bit down on his lip and rushed over, dropping beside his sister as he took her wrists into his own. He froze however, when he tried to take her hands into his glove ones, only to get bit. His eyes directed themselves to the girl's palms, a curse threatening to fall from his mouth.

How could his father be so foolish?

I~~~~I

"Team Roshi under Jonin Roshi will consist of Oduriko Yarui, Ryutai Darui, Kopi Hesei Shisui, as well as Genin Iwatoshi Hosha Naruto. Team Kurotsuchi-"

Whispers echoed in the room, three heads swiveling to gaze at one another as they tried to think of who this strange Genin on their team was. While getting a fourth member on a team wasn't unheard of, it was extremely rare for anyone to get another member. Such things could cause problems in exams, outnumbering others or leading to bad situations with other villages in general.

"Alright, you will be given a scroll and are to meet your Sensei's at the designated spots. Should you not show up or back out, you will be placed on probation and have a scheduled meeting with one of your Sensei's to discuss your reasons."

The three boys, already quite close due to knowing each other as children, shared gazes before they walked up to receive their scrolls.

The blonde haired, blue eyed Darui was the one to grab the scroll. He wore a red shinobi top with several layers on the right side with black trim decorating the edges. His neck had a purple robe necklace braided down to a point under his shirt. His black headband was tied around his neck, pressed into his tanned skin. Sharp blond spikes fell over his eyes as he opened up the scroll with black gloved hands.

To his right, leaning over his shoulder, was one of his raven haired teammates. The raven by the name of Yarui and he had hazel eyes. His skin was a shade lighter than his blonde haired friend, and he wore a red short-sleeved vest with a white undershirt. His red headband was attached to his forehead, partially covered by his shaggy hair. Yarui's bare hand rested on Darui's other shoulder as he read.

The last member of the group, black-haired brown-eyed male with the name of Hesei but the insistence to be called Shisui, shook his head at Yarui's easy going smirk, turning his head to view the kanji scrawled on the scroll. His short spiky hair was cut just above his ears, his pale skin standing out next to his tanned teammates. He too wore a black headband around his neck, sporting a red yukata top with an inch of silver trim, a fishnet shirt put on under the loose fabric.

All three males wore black sandals, Shisui's heeled slightly. Combined with his slim form, the boy had a bit of a feminine look to him, if it weren't for the permanent scowl and the thin hair.

"So, this Roshi-San happens to be training this other Genin, and so he has to train us all? That's rather…neat."

Yarui spoke up first after reading the scroll and Shisui sighed whilst Darui nodded at his teammate.

"Yup, we should really go though, I don't want to be late to meeting our Sensei or this other member."

The three nodded, each shifting before they started walking out the door toward the assigned meeting place.

Darui handed the scroll calmly to Shisui as he chuckled lightheartedly.

"I guess you get to dispose of it, Shisui."

Shisui nodded, taking the scroll before lifting it in front of him. Yarui pulled his arms behind his head while watching through lidded eyes as the scroll began to burn from the bottom up, slowly dwindling into ash in Shisui's palm. The boy twisted his fingers, swirling the ash around, before he allowed it to fall to the ground.

All of them faced forward, awaiting the meeting with their Sensei.

I~~~~I

Hosha hummed with her blue eyes closed, her chakra spread out around her as she waited. A tiny tremor formed in the earth, unnoticeable to those who didn't have enhanced hearing out the sensory abilities she possessed.

Quickly Naruto twisted her body around, ignoring the twinge of pain in her ankles as heat seared past her chest.

A loud 'slap' echoed as the lava slammed into the ground behind the Uzumaki, said girl continuing to hum peacefully, even as she twisted and stepped to the left to avoid another bullet of lava aimed at her body.

All around the blonde lava had burned holes in the ground, some of it still smoldering while other parts had cooled. Those that had cooled had been left in the open air since the morning when Naruto had begun her training with Roshi.

Ever since the attack on the Bomber Clan Compound when Naruto was Twelve, she had been apprenticed under Roshi. The male was the Jinchuuriki of the Sonbi, and thus had the ability to use lava as he willed.

The Tschusikage had been rather shocked over the sudden attack, leaving Deidara and Naruto as the only living members of the bomber clan left, and thus put them into 'special' custody. For Deidara it was being placed on a strong team of Jonin that did missions personally chosen by the Tschusikage, while Naruto was placed under the command of Roshi as his student.

After a year under the man's tutelage, Naruto could say she was definitely not the same girl. Of course, having lava daily and randomly thrown at you for any period of time would change someone, but the blonde still liked to think she was different.

"Naru, I think it's time to call it quits. The other Genin will be here soon."

Naruto's eyes opened while her head tilted to the side. Her blue gaze settled on the man standing off to the side with his arms crossed, checking for deceit.

The man had dark red hair and a red moustache paired to a beard, his spiky hair mostly shielded by an odd brown headband forming three mountains from the center of Roshi's forehead, the Iwagakure symbol of two rocks etched onto the front. He wore a red yukata with black trim, a red lined fishnet shirt underneath. Brown plates covered his chest, back, and the sides of his legs. Black fingerless cloves covered his palms, black ninja sandals adorning his feet.

A thin blonde brow was raised as the girl tapped her heeled foot on the hard ground, her shoulders straightening while her bangs fell over the right side of her face.

"I don't trust you not to attack the moment I move Roshi-Sensei."

Roshi chuckled deeply and waved the girl over as he turned away from her.

"Just hurry up and get over here, Gaki, before I tie you up."

Naruto grinned and pushed chakra into her limbs, leaping over the piles of lava with a twisting flip. Her hair whipped across her face, the long locks falling over her back as rushed toward Roshi's retreating figure. The two ignored the sizzling cracks and pops behind them, Naruto moving to stand diagonally across from Roshi, twisting around to walk backwards and address her Sensei.

"So, who exactly are we getting?"

Roshi chuckled again at the ball of energy's actions, facing forward as he spoke up in his booming tone.

"Three boys this time; all of them are apparently close…Oduriko Yarui, Ryutai Darui, and Kopi Hesei. Yarui is the top in Taijutsu, Hesei in Genjutsu and Bukijutsu, while Hesei is already working on elemental Ninjutsu and he has skill in Kenjutsu. All around they are not a bad team to have."

Naruto blinked at the descriptions of her teammates, sighing as she glanced off to the side.

"I suppose."

One of Roshi's dark red brows twitched at the girl's rather dismissive nature to his descriptions. "Hey, Gaki, don't just dis my explanations!"

Naruto glanced over lazily at her Sensei, raising a brow at the man.

"Did you say something, Sensei?" The girl retorted while wiggling a finger in her ear, earning a growl from said Jinchuuriki.

Roshi stepped toward the Blonde in a threatening manner, about to yell at the girl, only to get a smirk from the Adopted Bomber.

"Sorry, your old age must be rubbing off on me. I mean I didn't hear you and next thing you know I'll be having back problems like you and Old Man Tschusikage-"

Lava flew past the shrugging Kunoichi, causing her eyes to flit up and stare innocently at the angered Jonin before her.

"Don't you dare tell me I'm as old as that _sack of bones_."

Naruto's lips twitched upward, and that was all it took for more lava to fly toward her.

The Blonde cackled, flipping over the blobs unpredictably as she ran toward the edge of their training ground.

Roshi rushed after her, muttering under his breath about disrespectful brats as his fired more volleys of lava at the girl.

"Get back here so I can teach you some manners, Gaki!"

I~~~~I

Yarui, Darui, and Shisui all arrived at the designated meeting spot. Each Genin had to do a double take after they spotted the formerly beautiful forest, the landscape burned beyond repair with sharp cuts dipping into the ground beside large holes.

"Oh, why'd you slow down, your back hurting you again Sensei?"

A rather angelic, yet impish vice, called out from the side of the meeting place that still had trees.

A blonde haired girl stood against the bark of the tree, calling out to a large red-headed male ahead of her a few meters.

"Gaki, when I catch you…!"

The large male shouted at the bratty girl as she launched herself over his head, spurts of lava launching from the man's _mouth_ , landing in puddles at the base of the trees. Feet twisted a slim body mid-air, drawing the Blonde down right before the other three Genin.

The blonde blinked at them, tilting her head as though she wondered why they were there, only to turn sharply as another _boiling spurt of lava dammit_ , came shooting at them.

"Well isn't that just a fucking lovely sight." The Kunoichi spoke up, her hands shooting up to form signs as she channeled chakra

Yarui felt his life flash before his eyes, before his survival instincts kicked in and he launched beside the girl.

Immediately he registered her hand signs, forming complementary ones for himself.

"Earth Style, Mud Wall!"

"Earth Style, Stone Wall!"

Both children called out, Naruto's voice a second behind Yarui's. Rock and Mud rose up, blocking the Genin from the large spurt of molten rock. The lava slammed into the wall, a sigh leaving the blonde's lips, wind gathering above them as she pushed chakra into the gesture. Wind spread out overhead the four Genin, covering them and repelling the small amounts of lava that managed to break over the wall.

Heat covered them, a deep voice shouting over the swirling winds above them.

"Naruto, are they okay!"

The newly named Naruto released the wind with a deep breath, panting softly whilst raising her hand upward, forming a thumb up while she tried to regain her breath.

All three Genin glanced to the blonde who flashed them a sheepish grin, managing to catch her breath rather quickly as she waved at them.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that. I teased Roshi-Sensei…and well I thought you'd take longer to get here."

A hand landed on the girl's head, a grunt leaving her lips as the rough palm ruffled her long hair, a red haired male suddenly appearing at her side.

"Gaki, you could have given me more paperwork. Sheesh…"

Roshi huffed and turned to look at the other three. He surveyed them, before adjusting his gaze to Yarui.

The raven shifted uncomfortably, freezing once Roshi shouted at him.

"You, Genin, nice work. Quick thinking is always useful for a shinobi."

Yarui nodded at Roshi, the man glancing at the others, before he retracted his arm from Naruto's hair. The blonde caste him a withering look, readjusting her blonde hair to fall over her right eye, her black kimono top line with dark grey swirling trim. Her skirt was a deep red color, ending three inches above her knee while fishnet stockings covered the rest of her legs, all the way down to her black heeled sandals. The girl's arms were covered by black sleeves, the sleeves covering her hands, thought they already knew from her wave they were gloved with dark grey fabric, the Iwa symbol etched into silver plates on the back. Resting on the girl's forehead was her headband, two stones decorating the metal placed on the custom grey fabric.

A tattoo was etched onto the girl's neck and it spiraled over her left shoulder and down that same side. The tattoo was visible due to the cut out pieces from the black fabric of her shirt. All three boys were rather shocked at the imprint on Naruto's shoulder, having not expected for the mysterious girl on their team to be part of the Bomber Corps headed by the Tschusikage himself.

"Hey, I'm Iwatoshi Hosha Naruto, Genin student of Roshi-Sensei."

Naruto waved at the three boys, grinning sheepishly still.

I~~~~I

 **Well what do you know, I actually managed to finish this thing…Damn it took forever to get by butt into gear. Anyways I decided I should finally get to doing this story, after all I did adopt it and I have no excuses. Though, there was The Lone Jinchuuriki, but also I had more stories, I just got back to public school…yeah and I started this again during testing, just great. Well Hopefully I will put more up soon, but Senju Akihane Naru (SAN) is my main story so this one won't be focused on nearly as much. I'm also trying to get my mind back onto TLJ, so that I can write the sequel, The Chosen Jinchuuriki (TCJ). Well thanks for reading, and please wait for more!**


	2. Beta

I~~~~I

Black bangs felt over dulled blue eyes, a soft gasp leaving thin lips as the greater half of the man's chakra poured into the seal transcribed on the baby in the man's arms.

Iraku bit back a groan, panting heavily as he released the child in his grasp, his veins burning over the chakra having been pushed into his coils.

Glancing down, Iraku smiled one last time at the little girl he had grasped tightly, shaking his head as he looked skyward. Minato, his rather eccentric and caring friend, stood above Gamabuta the Head Toad, facing the spot the Kyuubi had been moments before.

"Hundred Seals Style…Is seriously taxing." Iraku murmured, glancing back at the child he had just condemned. His eyes shut tiredly, but he willed them open despite the fading beat of his heart. He wasn't done, and Minato still had to collect Naruto. Still, pain surfaced, Iraku's vision blurring as he coughed. Something wet coated his hand as he covered his mouth, his body swaying.

Iraku chuckled heavily, looking skyward. He supposed that using the Zero Seals, Soul Seal on Kushina to give her half his life force didn't exactly work well with the whole Hundred Seals Tormented Hand Seal. His eyes glazed as he looked to Naruto one last time, reaching even as he felt burning chakra rise around his body. Violet chakra turned to claws, the five fingers grasping at his body, burning through his clothes.

"M-Michiko…I-I'm so sorry I didn't g-get to see…S-Sashi grown up."

Iraku whispered as his eyes slipped shut, the violet chakra swallowing him in its embrace, dragging him down into the ground, leaving nothing behind.

I~~~~I

Minato could feel Iraku's chakra dwindle, his eyes shutting as the Kyuubi's presence vanished. Violet light broke over the forest, signaling that Iraku's jutsu had worked. Still, Minato knew the cost his friend had paid, it showed in the way that the seal Minato knew was on Iraku's body simply vanished from his mind, no trace of it left. Bodies still carried the mark, and yet that same mark had been erased from existence. The only way such a thing could have happened would have been Iraku's entire being burning from the inside out, leaving nothing behind.

Minato opened his eyes, turning upon Gamabuta in order to go fetch his daughter and see his wife once more, to deliver the news to Michiko and her kids.

The Yondaime froze, his eyes flashing with the image of Iraku's newest child, the giggling little girl with bright blue eyes and dark cyan hair. Sashiko would never get to know her father, would never have that joy.

A heart clenching gasp slipped over Minato's lips, his vision suddenly darkening.

Inwardly he cursed, thinking back to the odd man who had started the whole thing, the one wearing an orange swirling mask. Thoughts drifted to the weird black and white plant _thing_ that had attacked him and Iraku, allowing the instigator to leave.

' _Poison…H-He must have used poison.'_

"Minato-Boy, I can't stay any longer!"

Gamabuta shouted toward the faltering Hokage, his eyes shutting just as the toad vanished in a puff of smoke.

Forward, Minato fell, his body racing toward the ground as the wind whistled in his ears. His last thought surfaced like a curse, and yet it was only a simple name.

' _N-Naruto…_ '

I~~~~I

Michiko clutched onto Kushina's hand as the woman began to cry.

Tears slipped over Michiko's eyes as she watched Gamabuta vanish, Minato's body falling fast toward the ground. Iraku's chakra had long since disappeared, striking a cord inside of the normally strong woman as she felt a hole form where her heart was.

Like a string that had been cut, the bond Michiko formed with Iraku was severed. Emptiness crept upon them both, Michiko's body pushing itself even through her grief. Kushina turned to her, her violet eyes wide and scared, such emotions looking foreign on the Kunoichi's features.

"M-Michi!"

Kushina pleaded with the woman, causing her to gently encase Kushina's hand with her other one, her brown eyes darkening as she stared into the violet orbs of her adopted sister. "I will be back. Stay here and wait, alright?"

Michiko stood, letting go of Kushina as she turned around sharply.

Standing in the doorway to the living room, leading out to the nursery where Sashiko, Miko, and Mila rested, was Michiko's eldest son, Ichihara.

The Chunin gazed at his mother with lost eyes, before he clenched them shut and nodded at her with a tightly closed jaw.

"G-Go…"

Michiko faltered at the broken tone her son held, before her mind was made up by Kushina's soft cry, her body twisting while her hand took hold of the sword laid out on the table beside Minato's Reaper Death Seal.

I~~~~I

Michiko rushed out into the forest, pushing the chakra in her limbs to go faster.

As she ran she felt other signatures close in on the area she was rushing to, her heart beating franticly.

Hazel eyes darted around the landscape, searching for any speck of blonde or white, for any sign of child or Kage.

Iraku was gone, no doubt about that. Michiko had always been attached to him, and once she saw the seals on her ring fade away, she knew that not even the man's body remained. The seal was two ways, each one having a receiving one on their rings, and a broadcasting one on their hearts. The seal was like Minato's Hirashin, and only vanished if the body was completely destroyed.

"Over here!"

A call echoed, Michiko's body shooting right over a tree limb, snapping another in half as she pushed against it. Lightning chakra danced over her feet, a trick taught to her by Iraku, her body flashing into a destroyed area of the forest moments later.

A familiar Jonin was crouched beside a blonde haired male, the sight clenching at Michiko's heart even as she drew herself to a stop on the other side of the downed man.

The Jonin was a brown haired child with hazel eyes, a black bandana forehead protector, and lightly tanned skin.

"G-Genma, is he alright?"

Michiko spoke up, drawing out more chakra from within herself to heal any injuries inflicted to the male below her.

Genma bit down on his lip, flaring his chakra for more help as he checked Minato's pulse.

"He's alive."

Relief flooded through Michiko's veins, even as her hands hovered over the man's chest, checking for injuries while also healing any she found.

Michiko forced her body to be still, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her as she focused on Minato.

Thoughts drifted toward the other blonde she was supposed to look for, and the brunette spoke to the rather calm, but still freaked out, Jonin.

"Find his daughter, she was due East that last time I felt Iraku…I-I can't sense him anymore so that's as best as I can give you."

Genma looked to Michiko, flinching when she mentioned Iraku's situation. The Jonin rose to a standing position, however, nodding sharply to her.

"I'll go right away."

The young nin launched away, leaving an imprint in the dirt as he raced toward Iraku's last know position.

All the while, Michiko continued to heal the fractured ribs her friend possessed, her teeth worrying her lip as she tried not to shake.

All of this was because of that stupid man, that foolish Uchiha who had attacked Kushina and _ripped_ the Kyuubi from his seal.

If Michiko ever got a hold of that _imbecilic selfish bastard_ , she would tear him limb from limb and show him exactly why she had gotten the Flee on Sight order just like Minato and Kushina had.

Iraku was famed as the sadistic one of their little duo alongside Kushina, but no one had ever had to deal with a vengeful Oreshizoku with Hyuuga and Uzumaki blood running through her veins. Michiko would stop at nothing to destroy anyone who harmed her family, and those men in black cloaks with red clouds had painted rather large targets on their backs.

I~~~~I

Hours passed before the Jonin returned with a passed out Michiko and an unconscious Minato in tow. Kushina was up and holding a muted Ichihara as they waited to hear the news. Genma still had not returned, Raidou leaving to aid him and the rest of the ANBU in their job of finding Naruto while Iwashi, Sarutobi, and the now present Jiraya all waited with Kushina.

Minato had been stabilized, even if such a thing took all of Michiko's strength and left her with chakra exhaustion.

Kushina took watch over her husband and friend, Iraku holding onto the sniffling body of his youngest sibling, Sashiko, while Jiraya cared for the crying twins curled against his sides.

Iwashi stood guard beside Sarutobi, his teeth clenched as he gazed at Minato's prone form.

All of them just wanted the night to be over, for their families to come back.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward the sky, silently praying that Genma, Raidou, or any of the other shinobi looking would find Naruto. There needed to be no more losses on this day, no more.

I~~~~I

The Kyuubi attack had left many families without loved ones, Uchiha Iraku and Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto at the top of the list.

Naruto was never found, the altar she was sealed on and Iraku's headband being the only things left at the scene.

Kushina and Michiko remained in mourning, the two only leaving their houses to attend the mass funeral. Minato had woken two days after the incident, promptly handing over his Hokage Duties temporarily to the next capable person, Orochimaru of the Sannin.

Orochimaru was shocked at the sudden change, even if it was only until Minato and his family finish grieving, but accepted it none the less after encouragement from Michiko.

Jiraya took to taking care of Ichihara and his siblings alongside the rest of the Hokage Guard Platoon, allowing the others to mourn for as much time as they needed.

Kakashi, the last living student of Minato, aided Jiraya in helping take care of the children alongside Shisui and Itachi.

The week was filled with rain, the skies opening up to cry on the people of Konoha.

I~~~~I

Brown hair curled over small slightly pointed ears. Honey orbs cast looks over the assembled children standing before the brunette, a soft sigh leaving her lips.

"Ichihara-Kun, what did I tell you about playing pranks on Minato?"

Uchiha Ichihara shifted on one foot, glancing toward his other cohorts. His straight black hair brushed the tips of his ears, his blue gaze pleading with his friends.

Uchiha Shisui, a shaggy black haired male with onyx eyes, simply grinned sheepishly while tugging Ichihara and the other cohort to his sides.

Lastly was Uchiha Itachi, his long, straight, black hair cascading over his shoulders, pulled back into a low tail that went just below his shoulder blades. His onyx eyes met Ichihara's own blue, all three males shifting uneasily on their feet.

Black shirts sporting the Uchiha crest rested on each one, white shorts covering Itachi's legs, black leggings covering Ichihara's, while Shisui wore brown shorts. All three sported black headbands tied around their foreheads, as well as three necklaces with tomo charms and black ninja sandals.

"S-Sorry Aunt Michiko…W-We hadn't meant to catch Minato-San in the attack. Ihara-Kun said that it wouldn't be that explosive…but we must have miscalculated."

Shisui tried to explain to the rather irritated brunette tapping her foot in front of them all.

From behind Michiko, a gentle laugh rang out.

"Come on Michi-Chan, don't be so hard on them. They managed to get Jiraya and Danzo in that one, which is pretty good."

The melodious voice was revealed to belong to a long red headed female when said woman came around Michiko's side, carrying a sleeping infant in her arms.

The infant had dark red hair, so dark it was almost black in color.

Itachi froze as he spotted the child, Ihara darting over immediately to reach for the boy.

"Is that Menma-Kun?"

Shisui whispered in awe at Kushina, Itachi following Ihara like a robot as Kushina giggled and allowed the boys to play with the baby's limbs.

"Yup…he's getting so big."

Michiko's lips softened into a gentle smile as she gazed at her friend, taking in the sight of the Uzumaki finally being a mother.

A year and a half had passed since that fateful night, the one that took Michiko's first love and Kushina's first child from them.

Things had regressed mostly to normal, Uchiha Fugaku cutting in at times to help out Michiko along with Mitoko, his wife, lending a hand.

Ichihara, Itachi, and Shisui had all been assigned to the same Jonin Team, which meant they often carried out missions together.

To the village and outside world they were known as the Sharingan Trio, each feared in their own right. Itachi was the weapon's specialist, mostly with long range attacks or Genjutsu incorporated into it. Shisui was the upfront attacker, using Kenjutsu and his famed Shuinshin prowess to take down multiple enemies in seconds. Ichihara was more of the backstage part, using Lightning style integrated into his kenjutsu in order to land fatal blows, his prowess in medical ninjutsu aiding in his rather quiet methods. Ichihara was also the Torture expert, the student of Mitarashi Anko, Orochimaru's apprentice.

"I-Ihra!"

A call echoed from the hall, Ihara tilting to the side to see the adorable little girl running toward him with outstretched arms.

The little girl had dark cyan hair brushing her shoulders in messy spikes, her midnight blue eyes alight with happiness as she giggled and dashed to her older brother.

Ihara's eyes lit up at the sight of the toddler, his feet pushing himself forward in time to catch the girl as she stumbled forward.

Sashiko grinned at her brother and giggled happily, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed his cheek sloppily.

Happiness curled in Michiko's gut while she watched two other children rush out of the hall, calling the cheeky child in her eldest brother's arms.

Peace, it was a feeling one had to work toward after heart break, but seeing her family finally _happy_ again, Michiko had to say such things were worth the pain.

I~~~~I

Minato cradled his head in his hands, gazing at the man standing before him, telling him of the treasonous act one of his advisors had tried to instigate.

"Thank you for notifying me of this Orochimaru-Sama…I-I am glad you informed me."

Orochimaru of the Sannin, the viscous member of Team Sarutobi and the most known detester of Minato's hold over the Hokage seat, nodded at the Yondaime.

Ever since the Kyuubi attack that left Orochimaru in charge for the better half of the next year, the two had grown to tolerate one another's presence. Of course the hatred was more so on Orochimaru's part than Minato's, but with the blonde haired Hokage being there for Orochimaru's goddaughter Michiko, the Hebi Sannin found himself unable to hate the man nearly as much.

Michiko had always been important to Orochimaru, he mother, Hyuuga Orama, one of the few people who had cared for him after his parents had died. Hiruzen had selected him as his student by Orama's request after all, and even when Orochimaru met the supposedly dead woman years later on a trip to Uzushio alongside his Sensei, the woman had still treated him like family.

Orochimaru had met Michiko and her little sister Koran when he was a Chunin, and upon meeting them he was surprised for the little brunette to call his 'godfather'.

Once Michiko and Kushina had come back to Konoha after Orama's death and the downfall of the Uzumaki, Orochimaru took in the Oreshizoku and raised her as much as he could.

Now, the two meant a lot to each other and Iraku's death had almost destroyed one of the few precious people Orochimaru had left, were it not for Minato and Kushina stepping up and helping her through all of the grief.

That was the reason why when Danzo had offered him help in gaining the Hokage position, if only Orochimaru turned his experiments in a more sinister direction that would mean the death of a lot of children, he notified Minato.

No more children needed to die at his hand, no more sad looks or disgusted gazes needed to be aimed at him by others. Orochimaru would die if Michiko ever gazed at him had he accepted the offer, her eyes filled with loathing.

Minato took a deep breath, before calling out to his ANBU.

"Neko, call in all available teams. You will be placed under Orochimaru's command…Also get me Michiko, Kushina, and Mikoto. Tell them that they are being called into service once more."

I~~~~I

Ichihara gazed at the many children placed under watch by the ANBU Black Ops. Shisui and Itachi stood by his side, all three of them masked. Itachi wore his Itatsi [1] mask, Shisui wore his Karasu mask, and Ihara wore his Hyo mask.

Before them were the ROOT operatives rescued from Shimura Danzo's command when he was brought down by Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime.

Two of them were rather familiar to Ichihara, as he recognized one of them as Yakushi Kabuto, the boy Orochimaru had been perplexed about disappearing, and another was a boy no younger than four who refused to leave the side of another raven looking to be five, a silver haired boy sitting before them both protectively, looking about five or six.

It twisted Ichihara's insides to see such young children forced under Danzo's regimen, especially since the boy he recognized was Doten-Shi Ken, the son of one of his mother's friends who had died not long ago.

Danzo would pay for this, all of it.

I~~~~I

"Team Six under Yamato Tenzo, Oreshizoku Sashiko, Doten-Shi Ken, and Sai. Team Seven under Hatake Kakashi-"

Sashiko sighed, leaning against the body beside her.

Ken raised a brown at the rather withdrawn child, before shaking his head with a chuckle as Sai leaned on Sashiko's other shoulder.

His two friends were odd, what with Sashiko's blue hair, blue eyes, sickly pale skin, and her odd affectionate gestures, and Sai with his black hair, black eyes, similar pale skin, and witty sarcastic comments.

Both of them enjoyed odd books and teasing Ken in the most round-about manner possible, making them perfect in a team since Ken would banter right back.

Being placed under this Yamato was rather surprising though, as Ken had figured that the Hokage's right hand woman's child would get stuck with his student as a teacher. Still, the boy wasn't complaining. More time with Sashiko and the other members of the Oreshizoku clan was good enough for him.

Still, Ken made a mental note to watch out for Sashiko's 'little brother', Namikaze Menma, the son of the Yondaime.

Menma always ruined Ken's attempts to get Sashiko to finally go on a damn date, and it really pissed off the red head.

"Team Nine under Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Hyuuga Neji, Team Ten-"

I~~~~I

"Team Six passed their test."

"Team Seven failed and will be reporting back to the academy next week."

"Team Eight failed and will be removed from the Shinobi program."

"YOSH, my youthful students passed as well!"

I~~~~I

"Menma! Wake up!"

Blurry blue eyes opened up, a soft groan leaving pale lips as the dark haired child rose up from his bed.

Shaggy red hair covered his face as he gazed toward his mirror, turning toward the calendar beside it.

Blue eyes lit up brightly as a grin suddenly spread over Menma's lips.

"The Genin Exam is today!"

The boy hollered, rushing toward his closet in order to get ready.

Outside the thirteen year old's room, Kushina smiled from her position beside her son's door.

The Uzumaki lowered her arm and walked toward the kitchen, shaking her head as she heard her son stumble over something in his room.

No doubt the boy had stayed up all night the previous day working over that seal his father got him started on, fiddling with it in an effort to make it work.

A knock sounded from the front, bringing Kushina's attention to her door where she sensed a familiar signature.

A smile drifted over the red headed Kunoichi's lips as she walked forward, opening the door.

Outside stood the familiar fourteen year old girl she had taken to expecting on certain mornings, Oreshizoku Sashiko, her goddaughter.

"Come on in Sashi-Chan, he's just getting ready."

The cyannette nodded at Kushina, greeting her with a good morning as her two teammates filed in behind her. She wore a blue tank top under her black lined fishnet tee. Beige cargo pants covered her legs, a long blade slung over her should with a brown strap crossing her chest along with a belt wrapping around her waist that held tags, scrolls, and pouches for Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon. She wore black ninja sandals and had her longish hair pulled back by her headband. A single black headband, her fathers, was wrapped around her arm.

Sai came next, dressing in a black shirt that exposed his stomach and short shorts that barely covered his knees, a Tanto strapped to his back. He wore black ninja sandals and had a black Konoha headband placed on his forehead. Scrolls decorated his waist, along with kunai pouches.

Ken came last, his spiky red hair bound above his head while twisting black seals painted the side of his face, going down to his right arm and across his back. He wore a fishnet shirt line with black trim, a green vest covering the fishnet while black slacks covered his legs, black leg weights resting over his shins. Black gloves covered his hands, shining metal plates decorated with the Oreshizoku symbol adorning the front. Ken wore black shinobi sandals with the toes covered by black metal plates.

All three remained at the entrance so they didn't have to remove their shoes, Sashiko leaning on the little shoe box let at the front, gazing at the different symbols engraved into each cubby. Menma's had a fishcake on the front, Minato's had a Thunder God Kunai, Kushina's had a red pepper, Ihara's had a lightning bolt, Jiraya's had a novel, Sashiko's own had a katana, Ken's rested beside her with a kunai on the front, while Sai's had a smiling face.

"Sashiko-Nee!"

A voice shouted from further inside the house, Sashiko turning in time to catch Menma as the boy launched at her.

Laughter spilled from Sashiko's lips as she greeted her little brother figure, not catching the jealous glare Ken shot Menma.

The Namikaze Heir snickered under his breath at Ken's look, placing a one up on his part against the damn Genin who constantly flirted with _his_ Nee-Chan.

Menma hated Ken and he was glad Sashiko never seemed to accept the boy's proposals, instead sticking to being friends, training, or cloud watching with Shikamaru.

The Nara was someone Menma could stand Sashi being with, but not the two assholes- oh sorry Kaa-San, _horrible boys,_ that were Sashi's teammates.

"Come one Menma, let's get you to the Academy so you can take that test and become a Genin."

Menma nodded, turning to wave at his mother.

The boy was shocked when he found the red haired woman standing behind him, holding a scroll and a bit of toast.

"Here's some breakfast first. Also the scroll has your lunch, and a bit more if you decided to share. I'll pick you up along with Ihara-Kun and Michiko, but your Tou-San could be a little late."

Menma smiled and took the items, reaching to hug his mother as he grinned at her.

"It's okay, he's the Hokage, so he has a lot to do."

Menma pulled away, promptly rushing out the door after stuffing the toast in his mouth.

Sashiko shook her head and followed the boy, casting a wave over her shoulder.

"Ja Ne Kushina-San."

Kushina blinked at the familiar phrase, shaking her head with a sigh as she thought of Kakashi corrupting Michiko's child.

As long as it stuck to phrases and not his habits than Kushina supposed she was okay with it. Though, the look on Jiraya or Orochimaru's face if Sashiko started reading Icha Icha would be priceless.

As tempting of a prank as the idea was, Kushina would hold off on it. Wait till Sashiko finally showed an interest in guys, after all.

I~~~~I

"Alright then Menma, please perform one basic Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and one basic chakra technique."

Umino Iruka, the brunette teacher of the advanced Academy classes, ordered Menma to begin.

Over the years of Minato being the Hokage, the Academy had been refined. Now, the passing exam involved a written exam that dealt more with gathering information from older Genin than word of mouth, showing your own adaptability to Taijutsu and Bukijutsu, and being able to perform more than three basic Ninjutsu.

The students were required to learn chakra exercises, starting with sticking leaves, going all the way to the very start of walking on trees and sometimes water walking. Genjutsu was a bit optional since not many had the aptitude, but the basic release technique could also work for this. Next was ninjutsu, but all three E-Rank Ninjutsu plus a D-Rank would work, or two D-Rank, or one B-Rank. Another higher than one B-Rank was worth extra points. Elemental Ninjutsu was also worth extra, and any clan techniques were treated separately.

Menma himself already knew what to do, willing his chakra to the surface like his mother had taught him.

He chose Fire Style, adapting to it more so than any other element thanks to his natural affinity for it. Flashing through hand signs, he angled his body toward the target wall, blowing outward.

A large amount of fire poured from his mouth after he spoke.

"Fire Style, Fire Stream!"

The fire slammed into the wall, the rather well sealed room growing hot even as Menma released his B-Rank Jutsu. Next he raised his fingers, forming the seals for his mother's favorite Genjutsu.

"Five Seals Style, Broken Thought!"

The area shimmered around him, the jutsu one his Aunt Michiko had taught to Kushina back when they were Genin.

Menma released the jutsu, receiving a proud smile from Iruka that made him light up.

Next, Menma channeled chakra to his feet, walking over to the wall, climbing up it with ease.

Iruka nodded, jotting things down on his chart, before he then asked Menma for any other Jutsu.

"No, I already did seals and used Ihara-Ni's chakra manipulation with the Bukijutsu."

Iruka shook his head at the boy, speaking up. "Alright then, Menma, you pass. Here's your headband."

Iruka handed over the black band to Menma, the student grinning at his Sensei as he took it.

"Thank you for teaching me, Iruka-Sensei." Menma spoke up, bowing respectfully at his teacher. Iruka froze in shock, before he to bowed at his student.

"Thanks for being a good student, Menma."

I~~~~I

"-and I wish you well on your road to becoming Shinobi. Now then I will announce the teams."

Iruka shouted over the overjoyed children, casting a wink at the red haired boy seated beside a raven haired boy and a pink haired girl.

The Chunin called out name after name, Menma taking note of who exactly went where, before he caught his own team.

"Team Six is still in circulation. Team Seven under Jonin Hatake Kakashi-" Menma caught the flicker of irritation on Iruka's face, snickering inwardly since he knew that Kakashi had been dodging paperwork lately and Iruka was getting annoyed.

"-Namikaze Menma, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura." To Menma's right, a raven haired boy stirred, glancing toward his friend. Menma grinned, earning a smirk from the older boy. The boy wore a black high-collar shirt with the Uchiha crest imprinted on the back, black shorts going down to his knees while black ninja sandals covered his feet and black gloves covered his hands and kunai pouches rested at his right thigh and left hip. A Konoha forehead protector rested on his head, pushing back black bangs.

In front of both of them a pink haired girl shouted 'Yes!' over getting the two 'celebrities' of the class on her team. She had long hair and bright green eyes, her pale skin flawless. A red headband was wrapped around the back of her head, keeping her hair out of her face. Haruno Sakura wore a red dress and black sandals, a kunai pouch resting on her right hip.

Menma rubbed his ears at the screech the girl had given them, sighing heavily. His hair was cut right above his ears, sticking out everywhere like his fathers. He wore a green coat over a black shirt with the Uzumaki crest embroidered on the back of his jacket. He wore two diamond earrings, the diamonds cut into nine other diamonds that represented the Namikaze Clan. His pants were like Sashiko's, since he preferred the loose feel of cargo pants, however his were tucked into his black sandals. His forehead protector rested where it should, and around his neck rested a necklace with the Kanji for Maelstorm.

Menma had been given the necklace by his mother on his fifth birthday, the necklace originally supposed to be Naruto's, his older sister. With Naruto being gone, however, and Kushina being too sentimental to give it away or wear it herself, she gave it to her son.

Menma had worn the necklace proudly ever since, drawing comfort from the metal with his father's seal carved into the back.

"Team Eight under Yuhi Kurenai, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Team Nine is still in circulation. Team Ten under Sarutobi Asuma, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji. Team Eleven-"

Menma looked at the others assigned their teams, grinning at Hinata when the Hyuuga looked to him. A blush spread over her cheeks, but she waved back.

It seemed this would be interesting after all.

I~~~~I

"I'm Hatake Kakashi. I'm older than all of you. I don't really have likes or dislikes. You aren't old enough to know my hobbies, and as for a dream for the future…never thought of it."

Menma's eyebrow twitched at Kakashi's introduction to the three of his Genin, a hiss leaving his mouth as he glared at the Jonin.

Kakashi looked at him with his blank gaze, only to receive an Uzumaki twinkle.

The Jonin froze upon seeing the prank worthy look Menma had shot him, the look one the Scarecrow had seen on Menma's mother's face many a time.

"His name is Hatake Kakashi, or otherwise known as Kakashi of the Sharingan. He is Twenty-Seven now, he likes dogs, me, my dad, irritating people, being late, eating eggplant, reading _porn_ , and Ero-Sennin. He dislikes cats, pranks, boring speeches, being early, anyone who flirts with Sashiko-Nee, and being unable to read in peace. His hobbies are reading that stupid book of his, bugging Sashi-Nee, getting Ihara-Ni to prank people, and scaring the _bast-_ sorry, _baka_ , Doten-Shi. His dream is to protect the people he cares about."

Kakashi mutters, before he gave Menma his most irritating eye smile, following up Menma's speech.

"This Gaki's name is Namikaze-Uzumaki Menma, otherwise known as Konoha's Gakiest Gaki. He is Thirteen, the youngest in your class, and he likes ramen, his parents, has a damn older sibling complex with Sashi-Chan and Ichihara-Kun, he hates Doten-Shi Ken, not that I can blame him, and he loathes anyone who flirts with _our_ Sashi-Chan. His dream is to become the most irritating brat he can be…oh wait sorry you already did that. He now wants to be a Seal Master and drive me to an early death."

Menma nodded at Kakashi, smirking as he applauded the man silently.

Sasuke grunted and then spoke up.

"Uchiha Sasuke, fourteen. I don't mind Menma, Itachi, my mother, tomatoes, or Sashiko-San and her family. I don't like fangirls, sweet things, and almost everything else. I train and help out Menma mostly, and my dream is to kick Itachi's ass."

Kakashi whistled at Sasuke's language, Menma cheering his friend on. Sakura shrunk upon hearing the language being used, before she too spoke up.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, and I'm fourteen. I like-"

Menma held up a hand to the girl's face, huffing in exasperation.

"We'll skip that part. I already know you mind-raped Sasuke and I, no need to speak it aloud."

Sakura froze, cheeks heating up as she turned away, Sasuke shivering.

Kakashi looked skyward, wondering why the hell his Sensei had given him Menma and Sasuke. The two were rather hard to handle, what with Menma's innocent natures right up until he was no longer around Sashiko, Kushina, or Minato. All three believed Menma was a damn saint, even after Ichihara had mentioned him cussing at a Jonin for manhandling a kid.

Perhaps Tenzo would trade Sashiko with Menma or Sakura…let the tree-hugger deal with the headache.

I~~~~I

 **Well what do you know. So in the summary I said Minato felt** _ **after**_ **Naruto had Kurama sealed inside of her. This then translates to what happened. Uchiha Iraku is one of my OC's, and yeah, I put the Oreshizoku Universe into this one. It was so hard to write this, up until I had that idea and suddenly the rain starts to fall, and if you've read my ANs on TLJ, you know that makes me** _ **write**_ **.**

 **So here is the past few years, right up until the current point in the story. There won't be any more big time skips, and over time the timeline will get more cohesive as details from the past are revealed.**

 **[1]- Itatsi- Scientific Version of Itachi, just so it's not too obvious since I use Japanese for the ANBU codenames.**


	3. Gamma

I~~~~I

Naruto hummed as she walked with her arms raised behind her head, the boys standing behind her watching her withy odd looks while she passively argued with their Sensei.

"It's not my fault you burned another training ground down. We don't have many forests left too. Tschusikage-Jiji will be angry with you."

Roshi growled and swiped at his irritating student, the girl ducking without changing pace, her humming not fazing once.

"He'll understand when I tell him why, Naruto. How does that brother of yours deal with you, anyways?" Roshi hissed at the girl, glaring at her through the corner of his vision. All around them were stalls, the team having decided to head toward Naruto's place to access the other Genin since she and Roshi had basically totaled the previous training ground.

Naruto stopped, turning sharply to Roshi while pointing accusingly at him while shouting, "S-Shut up! Deidera-Ni adores me! Besides, you just aren't a cool as he is, even if you aren't as obsessed with art."

Roshi raised a brow at the blonde, silent for the first time since the argument began. The look had Naruto's cheeks flushing, before she turned toward the others.

Yarui was smirking at them, looking back and forth between his sensei and the Kunoichi. Darui was sighing while Hesei had pointedly stopped listening long ago, turned toward the mountains surrounding the village.

"W-well…before we get to the training ground why don't you guys introduce yourselves?" Naruto offered, a mental counter in Roshi's head putting another mark in his favor. He earned himself a glare from Naru as he smiled in triumph, as though she knew what he was thinking.

Yarui raised his hand, leaning quite close to Naruto as he shouted, "I'll go!"

Darui shook his head with a smile at Yarui's antics, allowing the boy to continue speaking.

"I'm Oduriko Yarui. I'm fourteen, and I specialize in Taijutsu. My favorite food is sushi, and I like blue eyed blondes best! My hobby is painting, but I do enjoy gardening and cooking. I'm an only child, and I live with my mother."

Naruto tilted her head, blinking at the boy, before she grinned and gestured to Darui.

The Genin sighed but began speaking. "Ryutai Darui. I'm fourteen as well, and I specialize in weaponized combat. My favorite food is yakatori, and I don't have any other hobbies besides training. I have a little sister who is training to be a priestess, and I live with her and my parents."

Next was Hesei, who muttered softly before answering Naruto's look with, "Kopi Hesei Shisui. I prefer Shisui. I have an older brother and twin younger brothers. My favorite food is spiced dango, and I only train in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and specialize in Kenjutsu. I live with my older brother with my younger siblings."

The three turned their gazes to the two others, garnering a rather frightening grin from Naruto.

"I'm Iwatoshi-Rida Hosha Naruto. I specialize in quite a few things, I don't have a specific type though I do like odd hair colors, my hobby you'd hate if you piss me off, a certain broth is my favorite food, and Deidera-Ni happens to be my Oni-San."

The boys blinked at the girl, their minds working double time. Each of them had a single thought running through their heads.

' _She only told us what we already know.'_

Roshi chuckled at his apprentice's introduction, calling over his shoulder at the Genin.

"I'm Roshi, I specialize in chakra techniques, my hobby involves fire and wood, I like Daifuku, my specialty isn't a secret, and I don't have family, but I happen to live with a student."

The three boys groaned at the vague answers, glancing to one another as they tried to figure out what had been told.

Shisui blinked, before he glanced sharply to Roshi. "Roshi of the Lava Style."

Shisui spoke up, drawing looks, before Naruto clapped and turned around, continuing to walk.

"Congrats, you got one of our hints."

With that the team continued onward.

I~~~~I

When the team arrived at Naruto's house they were rather surprised. The small home was enough for a growing family, though it currently housed only Roshi, Naruto, and her brother. The inside was decorated with dull greys and softer greens, the paint varied shades of blue.

Out back there was a training ground that had been worn down quite often, several indents in the ground showing where holes had been created on multiple occasions. A small shack was set up outside the fenced backyard, no doubt storing gardening supplies and other items necessary for training.

Naruto led them through the house to the training ground before she promptly left all of them alone with Roshi, stating she 'needed to make some dinner'.

That left the three Genin with the legendary Roshi of the Lava Style, renowned Jinchuuriki of the four tailed monkey.

"So I'm not going to be testing you per say. Really, I'm just going to come at you and you have to do the same in return but with everything you have. If you manage to complete your objective…good for you. If not…then I suppose Tschusikage-Sama will have to deal with your paperwork."

Roshi told the Genin plainly, his eyes darkening on them as his crossed arms slipped down to his sides and his feet shifted into his own stance.

The three shared looks, each of them nodding to one another before they turned toward Roshi with determined gazes.

Roshi smirked and pointed to his headband with his rather large thumb before he told them, "If you can get my Headband by the end of this then you're good to go."

Right after Roshi finished talking his smirk firmed and he attacked them all.

I~~~~I

Naruto could hear the sounds of battle rather close, though it seemed that Roshi had decided not to use his Lava Style since they were at their home.

She shook her head with a small sigh. She had no doubt the Three Genin wouldn't realize what Roshi was actually doing.

Of course, sooner or later, the fighting would stop.

One Roshi had stopped playing around with them in order to gauge their abilities, things would get serious.

Naruto could still remember how Roshi had done the same exercise with her when he wanted to see if he shoulder train her or not. Fear still had a habit of working its way up her spine when she recalled the horrendous amount of pressure that the nin could release.

The blonde had to stop and set down the glasses she had meant to fill with tea as she recalled Roshi's rather choking killer intent.

First there was the sudden stillness of everything around the intended target, followed by the crushing weight on their body that seemed to squeeze any energy from them. After collapsing there was only the irrational fear followed by the even more irrational urge to just die, to end it all and never feel that again.

A small shake wracked Naruto's body and she gasped softly when she finished recalling the horrid situation, her eyes opening to gaze out her kitchen window that showed the training ground.

All three boys were on their knees, though the one going by the name of Shisui seemed to still be able to glare up at Roshi.

Fear was important in a Shinobi, but knowing how to deal with it was even more important. The nights following Roshi's test had involved more nightmares that Naruto cared to admit. She had never wanted to feel like that ever again or have anyone close to her think what she had. The crippling fear was so similar to the night that her adopted father had died, the night that he had used such a weird technique to bring her closer to Deidera than she had thought possible.

Naruto calmly let out a heavy breath before she started to regulate her breathing. She clutched the countertop before her and quelled the thoughts that threatened to overtake her.

Roshi had helped her realize her fears and had even helped her in overcoming several. The Jinchuuriki had been there and pushed her further than even Deidera had. He had her believing in herself after everything had been screwed up in her life. Nothing would take away that belief, nothing would downplay the man's hard work.

Grabbing the cups Naruto filled them with cold water and set them on the tray situated next to her drying dishes. She then grabbed the handles and started to walk outside. The three would no doubt need something to refresh them after dealing with Roshi's power.

When she stepped outside she was greeted to the sight of Shisui checking on his teammates while Roshi stood with his arms crossed several feet away. There were a few weapons and messed up land patches around the area, telling the blonde that they had indeed fought before Roshi had dropped his real test.

Naruto, ducked down and set her tray of drinks beside the boys, reaching past Shisui to place a hand on the other boy's forehead. Yarui opened his eyes to stare at her as she then took a cup of water and carefully helped the shocked boy drink it. She had to pull him up into a sitting position, but soon enough he was okay.

When the blonde glanced toward her fellow light haired teen to the others she noticed how Shisui had done exactly what she had done to Darui and was now helping the boy take sips of his water.

"Pretty scary, huh?" Naruto commented when no one decided to break the silence, earning her several unamused glares.

The girl only smiled at them gently, rubbing the back of her head when her smile turned sheepish. She was used to the smirks or the curses that either of Deidera's still Genin teammates tended to give her when she tried to be the icebreaker. Roshi also liked to tease her about it, but the Jinchuuriki was strangely silent.

Behind her, Yarui managed a small chuckle.

"Scary doesn't cut it, Naruto-Chan…I haven't felt anything like that since…well anyways I'm pretty scared of Sensei now." Yarui offered, his eyes darkening slightly when he mentioned a previous experience, before they returned to their rather warm hazel coloring.

Shisui huffed from where he sat, drawing Naruto's attention to the raven as he glared at the ground.

The boy turned away from her and muttered under his breath. "If that's what death feels like-" The rest of the sentence was cut off when Roshi cleared his throat and caught their eyes. Every single Genin looked to their Sensei, the three boys holding a healthy bit of fear and respect for the Jonin.

Roshi grunted and began to explain exactly why he had put the three through that.

"On the field you'll have to deal with this. It's Killer Intent, or Chakra pushed through in order to display the darker emotions of a shinobi. When it comes down to it you must know how to deal with it or at the very least be prepared enough to avoid the effects. KI is also important because it introduces fear. Fear is mostly taken as a weakness in the shinobi world…but to me it is the best teaching element. Without fear there is overconfidence and a vain shinobi is a dead one. Nothing can save you from the consequences of underestimating an opponent. Fear shows you to look for certain signs, to be warry of anyone and everything. You all passed my little test…all because you did not try to play it off. You admitted to your fear and reacted. I have to say that I'm impressed by how well you handled my KI too. Naruto here passed out her first time."

Once Roshi had finished, Naruto garnered several looks. She shrugged at the incredulous stares her teammates gave her and instead stood up so she could walk to Roshi.

The girl grabbed another cup of water, the very last one, and handed it to the man. In return Roshi thanked her and gulped it down.

Naruto then turned to each of the Genin, taking in their stares and the hardening in their features. They were taking Roshi's words to heart, and that was very good.

"Don't forget that your fears empower you and also weaken you. You simply have to sort through them to figure out which ones do which and deal with them accordingly. Should you need help…well we are all a team and you know where Roshi-Sensei and I live so don't be afraid to stop by."

Naruto grinned widely at them and Roshi scoffed before he landed one of his large hands onto her head of blonde hair. He ruffled the locks rather playfully, earning himself a growl from the annoyed blonde.

Shisui, Yarui, and Darui all looked at one another before they sighed, the latter two gaining smiles while Shisui just stood with them to go join their Sensei and other Teammate.

I~~~~I

 **Oh geez you have no idea how long this one little chapter took. I had it going all over the darn place before I finally decided on this. Honestly it was mostly because of Fairy Tail. The battle Natsu had with Gildarts got me thinking and then Roshi's rather hard and stubborn attitude, one that kind of reminds me of the Gravity Mage, had me retyping until I got it to be like this. I'm pretty happy with it but I'll wait to see what you guys have to say. As for Konoha and the Genin Exam there…Should I make it so that Menma and Sasuke ditch Sakura or they barely manage to succeed? I'm having some trouble writing that out so I'd appreciate any feedback.** **One more thing. I was wondering if maybe I should stick to the original pairing or maybe not have one. It's kinda hard for me to fit love or anything close into this mess, so I'd like to know. Thanks for reading!**

 **On a side note, I figured I'd mention the changing of names. I honestly don't see much problem with it, but I will make it transition better. The whole reason for the Hosha/Naruto and Hesei/Shisui transitions are either difference in character (Where Hosha is Naruto's more vulnerable side, the one that honestly is like a child to me) and the wish to be called something else (Because Shisui hates his given name of Hesei and I have friends that do this to some extent too). The whole Hosha thing is meant to distance the actual Female Naru character from the OCish person I turned her into. Of course I'm pushing more for a Canon Naruto with this Fic unlike my others with the cold/distant Naruto. All of it is just practice and I'm treating this fic as more of a project than anything else. Maybe once SAN has reached Shippuden or once I finally get sequel to TLJ up I'll be able to give you a bit more.**


	4. Delta

To be entirely honest Menma didn't mind his team. There was, of course, the stalker known as Haruno, but she wasn't nearly as annoying as she was in the academy. Sasuke was a very fine balance and the rather stoic child gave him a reprieve from the other two members of his team. Kakashi was like he had always been, eccentric and a downright pervert that constantly giggled over his damned book.

The four of them worked surprisingly well together, what with his massive Chakra stores for Ninjutsu, Sasuke's aptitude for Taijutsu and Bukijutsu, and Sakura's knack for Chakra Control. Kakashi rounded off the team by providing the necessary manpower to push them along so that they learned at a steady pace.

It hadn't started out that way, especially since Kakashi had decided to put the three of them through his favorite test.

I~~~~I

It had started out like any meeting with Kakashi had. The Jonin was late, resulting in Menma dragging Sasuke, and after growing sick and tired of the pouts sent their way, Sakura as well, into a spar.

All three of them discovered their strengths and weaknesses, Menma's mind processing the information as he tried to plan for them. He had seen Kakashi fail many teams and had heard from Sashiko and Tenzo enough to guess the type of 'Survival Exercise' that the Jonin had planned.

One thing that Menma hadn't accounted for was Kakashi recruiting help for the exercise

"Oh, you have to be kidding me…" The boy moaned in horror as he looked at the puff of smoke Kakashi and two others had appeared from.

Sasuke froze up before his teeth clenched and he bit back an annoyed retort. Sakura meanwhile edged closer to her teammates in fear as she looked at the two individuals.

Standing in front of the three nin was not just their Sensei, but also two memorable twins.

Kakashi gave them all an eye smile that was far too innocent for such an evil gesture. He settled his hands on each of the twins' shoulders, both Mila and Miko gazing at their victims with innocent grins that bordered blood thirsty. The Hatake chuckled as he told them exactly why the Oreshizoku Twins were there. "You see I decided that if I wanted to do this right I'd better get some help…so I decided to call in a favor. Mila-Chan and Miko-Kun here are going to be your opponents for this little survival test…Isn't that just great?"

Menma wanted to die right then and there. He stepped back, his body shaking as his inner self started to laugh madly.

"So anyways, all you have to do is take these two bells from me…But these two lovely Brats are going to stop you any way imaginable. Don't even try to run Menma, after all…I'll send them after you."

Kakashi's voice sharpened into a deadly threat at the end of his sentence, his lone eye narrowed for just a moment before the damned Jonin was clapping and acting happy-go-lucky once more.

"Come on my adorable Genin…The Test starts now. If you don't get a bill by noon I'm going to let Miko and Mila used you as a genie pig before sending you back to the academy!"

Menma was in hell, there was no doubt about that. At the very least if he went down he'd take not just Sasuke but Sakura with him too.

I~~~~I

"Shit…How the hell did we get stuck with Sashiko-Nee's hellion siblings? Hatake could have at least used Ihara-Ni instead…" Sasuke muttered in annoyance as he ducked under a large wave of fire, biting the inside of his lip as he watched Menma flip over a large cleaver that Mila had aimed at the boy's neck. Sakura wasn't doing too hot either from where she was tangled up in ninja wire and tags, knocked out with a rather flimsy Genjutsu.

Menma grunted as he was kicked in the gut by Mila and sent flying. He hit the ground, barely managing to roll out of the danger zone as he replied to Sasuke.

"I wish so too, but yah know how crazy Kaka-Sensei is!"

Mila smirked as she approached Menma, resting a hand on her hip as she slung her cleaver over her shoulder. She was the perfect picture of her mother and yet her insane eyes spoke of Kushina. Her voice, however, was all her own. The tone was beautiful in the way a siren's song was.

"Come on Menma-Kun~. We're just getting started. You still have four more hours, after all.~" The girl singsonged as her lips tilted into a mischievous smirk. Mila's features were made even more terrifying with her black and red attire that gave off the bad-ass vibe. Her black tank was cut mid-way to reveal her toned stomach while a deep red skirt covered her legs along with black fishnet. Fishnet extended from the straps of her top down to her bare wrists. Tow headbands rested on her arms, the one of her right side bearing a Mist-Symbol crossed through the middle, while the left side bore an Iwa-Symbol that was scratched up. Her weapon's pouches were settled on her right hip and thigh, while a large sling rested over her shoulders to hold her blade.

Miko mirrored his sister, though he only wore a fishnet top and discarded the leggings. Both of them wore black ninja sandals, though Mila's were heeled, and Miko's were closed-toed. Miko also was vacant of any headbands but his own, which was the standard black and it was tied securely around his forehead. Mila's was tied around her neck and was red like Sakura's. Both of the twin's sported their mother's brown hair, Mila's let down around her in waves while Miko's was tugged back into a low ponytail. Their honeycomb eyes were far more frightening than their mother's warmer ones.

All in all, Menma hated Kakashi, hated his father, and he hated the twins because this was completely uncalled for. Still, he'd just have to deal with it.

"Sasuke, formation Z!" Menma called out as he avoided another swipe from his deranged relative, his eyes narrowing as he channeled chakra.

Sasuke was quick to reply. "Hn, going for one!"

Menma nodded and bounced backward. He avoided being in Sasuke's way as the boy launched shuriken connected to ninja wire at Mila.

The Red-headed boy gathered Kunai into his palms and tossed them over Sasuke's shoulders as the boy ducked toward Mila. The five kunai were deftly blocked by a questioning Miko.

Huffing, Menma brushed his fingers over the necklace pressing at his throat. His eyes hardened and he gathered chakra into his mouth.

Wind chakra shot free with only one hand seal made, Sasuke bounding away from Mila with a flip. He landed beside Menma and flashed through a few hand signs before a large ball of fire left his lips.

Their abilities swirled in the middle, but they also split off into higher powered blasts toward their targets.

Smoke rose over the area, covering the two Genin's escape into the forest. Left in the middle of the field was Sakura, still consumed in her Genjutsu.

I~~~~I

Menma dropped out of his Shuinshin beside Sasuke. He let a soft grunt leave his lips once he hit the ground, his mind spinning slightly over the force it had taken to drag Sasuke through the technique he was barely getting the hang of.

"You alright?" Sasuke questioned from beside him, his normally stoic voice edged with worry over his friend.

Menma managed a nod in the Uchiha's direction, his eyes swiftly dragging over the landscape. He took a deep breath before he voiced his thoughts. "I say we have a minute, two tops before the two come after us. What with Sakura down and the Twin's being way too skilled in close up our best bet is elemental techniques and long ranged attacks."

Sasuke nodded to show he understood, his hand slipping into his kunai pouch.

The boy frowned and he glanced at his friend.

"I only have about twelve shuriken and seven kunai. What about you?"

The Uchiha questioned. Menma sifted through his weapon's pouch as well, scowling with a slightly scrunched nose as he murmured his amounts. "Five Senbon, six kunai, and I'd say ten shuriken. I also have dad's kunai…but I doubt he'd appreciate me using it here."

Sasuke scoffed and nodded to the boy, thinking along the same lines until an idea sparked in his head. He swiftly reached for his other pouch, reaching in to take out a simple scroll.

Menma glanced to him and then his eyes lit up as he realized where his friend was going with his actions.

"Damn Sasuke you're amazing!" Menma told the Uchiha, grinning ear to ear. He was careful to avoid using the term 'genius' around his friend since he knew that Sasuke would most likely see it as a comparison to his older brother.

Sasuke smirked at the Namikaze, unrolling the scroll to reveal several sealing tags taped to the paper.

The two of them nodded at one another in agreement.

I~~~~I

Kakashi was a little disappointed with both Sasuke and Menma. He hadn't expected Sakura to hold out too long, but he also hadn't expected them to leave the girl to die. It was true that the girl had been in the middle of two dangerous opponents but now she was left unguarded without any help from either the Uchiha or Uzumaki.

The Hatake sighed and glanced down at the bells in his grasp. He wondered vaguely what Tenzo had done to get Sashiko, Ken, and Sai to pass. Sashi didn't have much motivation much like a certain Nara Heir and she had been distant during the later years at the academy because Ihara had left on a training trip for two years. The girl would no doubt have been slightly difficult, even if she liked Ken and Sai more than any other in her class.

Team Tenzo, or Team Six, was known as the infiltration group. They had not taken the Chunin Exams alongside Gai's team, and the other team in their class had moved on to being Chunin.

Kakashi knew the reasoning behind Tenzo having Sashiko on his team, he knew that Sasuke would most likely need his teaching because he refused help from any Uchiha other than Ichihara, and he knew that Menma would need to begin sealing and jutsu training before Jiraya took over. Sakura was thrown in because she had the most potential in different areas, but the most in intelligence. Kakashi had more experience in intelligence and calculations on the battlefield than most of the other Jonin that weren't specialized because of his position in the war and his tutelage under Minato.

His team was built for him by both Shikaku's and Michiko's combined intelligence. Team Seven would be greater than any of its previous formations.

All of that was for not if Sasuke and Menma didn't at least try to get Sakura in on their plan. Nothing mattered if Kakashi failed them for not looking underneath the underneath.

"Fire Style, Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Kakashi's eyes snapped over the cover of his book once he heard Sasuke's voice. His feet pushed off the ground and fire struck the rock he had been resting on as he twisted midair to land in a crouch on the ground. Sasuke stood beside Menma, right in front of Sakura's downed body, the two both twisted so that the pinkette wasn't visible.

Perhaps Kakashi had judged them too soon.

I~~~~I

It was a nice day, that much was true. Sashiko wanted nothing more than to just lie down and relax in the heat, but instead, she was forced to work.

Let no one say that her Taichou wasn't a damned slave driver because then they'd be lying their asses off.

Team Six had signed up for yet another mission, this time delivering weapon rations within the village from several blacksmiths to the different barracks around the inner walls. Sashiko had drawn the short straw for the mission and was forced to take almost half of the shipment herself because Tenzo was an ass and had made them do it instead of him. Ken and Sai had both lucked out with the other half, leaving her all alone with her portion.

Revenge would be sweet once Sashi finished her last round. No one would dare put her in this position again after she got back at not only her Sensei but her asshole teammates as well. The whole plan she was formulating could have been worse, but thankfully Sashiko knew how to use storage scrolls. A simple swish of her brush modified the amount the scrolls could contain and send Sashi off toward her drop off.

Still, the shipments that the young blue-haired Kunoichi had to make were all over the place, and more often than not she ended up having to backtrack for several orders.

By the last shipment her legs burned and the sun was already high above her head.

As an Oreshizoku she was known for her calm demeanor and caring appearance. As her mother's daughter the cyannette was known for being very patient. As Oreshizoku Sashiko, she was known for having a limit.

"They are so going to pay for this." Sashi hissed as she walked down the old paths, deciding to hell with reporting on time. She took a note from Kakashi's book, because Minato would understand, and hiked toward the Memorial Stone to talk with her father over her day so she could calm down and not eviscerate her team.

The clashing sound of metal met her ears. Her muscles tensed out of reflex as she took in the sounds. Someone was either training or sparring, though judging from the pillars of fire soaring over the rooftops, it was most likely the former.

"Is Kakashi still torturing Menma-Kun?" Sashiko wondered aloud as she gazed at the growing blaze. Another clang could be heard, and then a very telling wave of red chakra rose over the leaves.

Sashiko's eyes narrowed and she groaned inwardly. The only people who could use that chakra were those in her family, and since Ichihara was being an asshole and traveling wherever the hell he wished, that meant that the twins were most likely helping out Kakashi.

"I wanted to release stress…" Sashiko muttered darkly, her blue eyes gaining a sadistic glint as a rather vicious smile curved over her lips. Perhaps she could entertain herself with her siblings. Mila still needed to pay for spilling it to Shisui that she liked Itachi.

I~~~~I

Kakashi grunted as Menma drop kicked him, Sasuke working his way around Menma's body with ninja wire and weapons. Sakura was up and awake, tagging along beside Sasuke to place something on the ground wherever she was told.

To be honest Kakashi had expected his little helpers to have come back by now, what with Naruto and Sasuke showing themselves so openly. There was also the fact that Miko always knew when one of his Genjutsu was broken and would have rushed over immediately.

After a large blood red chakra wave had swept through the forest a ways away, Kakashi realized what had happened.

The silver-haired Jonin glared at Menma as the boy punched him and was swiftly blocked. Menma's lips took on a smirk.

"I think Mila-Nee found out it was a clone." The redhead commented to his Sensei.

Kakashi grunted in agreement. He had specifically told the Twins not to use their Kekai Genkai since it'd be too much for new Genin. For Mila, and he knew it was her because Miko wouldn't ignore his order, to get angry enough to forget meant she felt dissed. Mila hated when people used clones against her because it basically meant to her that they didn't see fit to use their full power against her.

Chakra spiked at Kakashi's side, causing him to glance over. Menma took that opportunity to flip backward with trained agility. He landed just beside a rather familiar tag. Sakura stood where Kakashi had sensed the chakra spike, her hand pressed onto another familiar tag.

Sasuke's chakra spiked behind him and lightning spread from the tags. The lightning contacted Ninja wire that circled Kakashi, the bright element reacting to the other three tags placed between each person and the next.

Kakashi barely had time to use Kawarimi before the lightning shot toward the middle.

The log he had left there was split into pieces from the force of the chakra, leaving behind charred shards of wood all over the circle.

Overhead the sound of a ringing alarm was heard by them all.

Kakashi dropped a few meters from his students, his legs straightening as he assessed the three Genin that were all looking rather resigned to their fates.

A sudden gust of hair had Kakashi on edge, his body twisting around. He was rather shocked to see Menma standing behind him, or at the very least a clone.

"I'm not giving up that easily, no way no how Old Man!"

Menma shouted at Kakashi, his eyes darkening as he channeled chakra to his limbs and held them into a seal.

"Sexy Jutsu!"

Menma shouted, clouds billowing around him.

Kakashi stood frozen still as he took in the much older looking male Menma had changed into.

His mind went blank long enough for Sasuke to snatch the bells from his waist, and even after that he still was frozen stiff.

It was only once Menma had halted his transformation that Kakashi was able to regain his composure.

Menma was scowling at him despite Sasuke and Sakura standing beside him, the two each holding a bell with their hands on his shoulders.

Both Genin looked confused, which told Kakashi that neither of them had seen just _which_ male that Menma had transformed into.

"Oi, Kakashi-Sensei, next time I better not have to use _that_ on you in that manner, you understand?! Stupid Pervert…"

Menma hissed at his Sensei, his cheeks turning pink.

From behind Menma Kakashi heard laughter, his gaze drifting to a smirking cyannette. It was that moment Kakashi wanted to die because whatever Genjutsu Menma had used to keep his teammates from seeing his form, Sashiko had seen through.

The young girl was walking calmly toward them with her lips tilted into a smirk, two blood clones dragging the bodies of Mila and Miko, both suspiciously knocked out.

Sashiko reached the rather frightened Menma and patted his head while walking around him, her blue eyes trailing Kakashi's covered face.

"Next time Menma, I'd give him a more feminine appeal. Minato-Oji looked way too cool in that.

Sashiko commented into the boy's ear, her voice too low for the others to hear it, but Kakashi's enhanced hearing\

Damn it all, he hated Minato's kid and even Michiko's at this moment. He had been far too surprised with Menma's choice than anything. To even try picturing Minato in any form of undressed was horrifying.

Sashiko only laughed at him and drew her arms around his team.

"Have you told them they pass yet, Kashi-San?"

The vixen chuckled at him, making him second think his next two words.

"Y-You pass…" Kakashi choked out through his mental scarring.

I~~~~I

It shouldn't have been, but the sight of Hatake Kakashi, his new Genin Team, the Twins Mila and Miko, and her youngest daughter Sashiko actually surprised Michiko.

Sashiko wasn't talking to Kakashi this time, but instead was chatting happily with Menma and his teammates while the Jonin tried to look anywhere but at Michiko's daughter. The development was definitely something new since Kakashi and Sashiko were normally attached at the hip when they were in the same general area of one another. Menma also looked rather embarrassed whenever he looked at Sashi, and the two twins were looking confused over the atmosphere.

Michiko sighed heavily and simply accepted that the night would be awkward. She pushed off the doorway to her home and motioned for the incoming herd of Nin to come on inside. It was a good thing that she always made larger than necessary portions just in case the other families her own had befriended decided to drop by.

A simple summoning sign had one of Michiko's toad's heading toward Kushina to inform the woman that Menma would be eating dinner and most likely spending the night at her home.

Laughter broke through the rather quiet home, bringing a smile to Michiko's lips. A head of long brown hair poked over her right shoulder, another head of shorter darker brown hair resting on her left. The twins both sniffed at the same time, their soft hums of appreciation warming Michiko's chest.

Times like these had Michiko forgetting the man that she loved, the one that could burn water and failed to make anything in the kitchen but toxic mush. It was moments where Menma's arguing with Kakashi were heard over even the bubbling pot of sauce in front of Michiko that kept the darker thoughts far from her mind.

It was moments with her family that made Michiko stay the strong Kunoichi she hadn't always been.

I~~~~I

 **And there it is. I decided on them barely passing, with a little shock treatment to Kakashi just for laughs. Menma is evil at times, and so is Sashiko. Also, as for Sashiko's revenge…**

 **Drabble- Never Anger Sashiko**

It started with simple things.

Yamato would find his coffee tasting like sludge, Ken would get itchy after a shower, and Sai was being tailed by a puppy more often than not.

Then it started to get worse.

Yamato found that his Mokuton did strange things like growing flowers whenever he stood still.

Ken found his hair dye was switched with glue, leaving his hands to stay stuck to his head for an entire day because it was drawing on his chakra.

Sai kept being followed around by animals to the point where he could almost not be seen between the flocks of birds, herds of cats, or packs of puppies.

They all thought it would end there, but suddenly flowers turned into wood clones with their own personalities, hair dye turned rainbow, and the animals were getting too friendly.

All the while, Sashiko sat back at the Hokage Monument while an innocent smile playing over her lips.

It was only once Mila and Miko mentioned Sashiko's bad mood after her mission that the three males realized who the culprit was.

The next morning everything was promptly back to normal and all three males had a healthy dose of fear instilled into them regarding their female member.


	5. Epsilon

Naruto woke to the sound of arguing. At first, she had thought that Deidara and Roshi were fighting again, but then she remembered a key fact.

Roshi had to wake up early this morning in order to get Team Roshi's first mission, no doubt a D-Rank, so that they could all start working toward being Chunin.

This meant that someone other than Roshi was in their house, someone who dared to argue with Deidara but didn't have the violent reactions certain others did.

Two seconds pushed by where Naruto sorted through her thoughts before a large grin spread over his face and she shot out from under her covers. Her feet hit the floor and her body shot across the wooden surface toward the living room where the arguing could be heard.

After rounding one of the hallway corners Naruto sped past the walls on either side, a male will rather long blue hair standing at the entrance to the den with a soft smile playing over his lips. Beside the male, another one stood smirking as he waved in the direction Deidara no doubt was in.

"Hatori!"

The blonde shouted as she launched herself at the blue haired male. He turned, his arms automatically opening after years of dealing with the same thing. Naruto was hoisted and twirled around Hatori as he chuckled loudly. The other two males in the room stopped their arguing and instead looked at Naruto.

"Hosha! What the hell are you wearing!?" Deidara's shout broke the moment, Naruto glancing over her shoulder at her brother as Hatori lowered her and hugged her while laughing.

She knew that she was only wearing a pair of Deidara's old boxer-shorts and a cropped top, but honestly, Deidara's Genin teammates had seen her in less.

The other male, the one who had been arguing with Deidara, whistled at her while his eyes strayed a bit too close to her chest and legs. "Whatever it is I approve, Hosha-Chan."

Naruto's cheeks began to flame at the perverted wink that the green haired male sent her along with his damned leer.

Deidara snatched her away from the quiet Hatori rather quickly as he hissed to his Ex-Teammate.

"I dare you to say that again Ikate! My sister is far too innocent for a prick like you…!"

Deidara hissed in warning, his visible brow twitching in irritation while his hand tightened around Naruto's body.

The younger Blonde muttered softly but smiled and leaned against Deidara's chest. Honestly, she never felt embarrassed over her brother's overprotective instincts. She found it endearing and after losing all of the members of their family but each other it just became something she wanted rather than something she hated.

Still, Naruto looked to Hatori and mouthed 'help me' at the boy.

In a true Hatori fashion, the male walked in the middle of a smugly smirking Ikate and a dangerously pissed Deidara and slapped both of them with the back of his hand.

The two boys gained shocked expressions, leaving Hatori to clap once happily.

"Alright girls, stop fighting. There is enough Hosha-Chan to go around. First, though, how about Hosha-Chan gets dressed and we get some breakfast so that you two can tell us what you were up to while we were away." Hatori commented with his diplomatic charm in full swing. Grumbles could be heard from both sides of the fight, but Naruto's thankful nod was enough to get them all moving.

I~~~~I

Naruto sat at the table with the other three males several minutes later, all four of the Iwagakure Shinobi eating peacefully.

Deidara was still sending a stink eye toward the rather pleased looking Ikate, but that was to be expected.

Ikate was rather odd in looks, at least in terms of being an Iwa Shinobi. He was the only shinobi Naruto had ever seen with his coloring, though his build was similar to most of the other Iwa Nin. His skin was the average olive tone while he had dark ruby eyes and forest green hair that was trimmed at his ears. His choice of clothing stemmed from his fixation on skintight red shirts with gray shorts. His kunai pouch rested on his right hip while his headband was tied around his waist with a gray cloth. He was the oldest of the group at the age of nineteen.

Hatori was the second oldest of his team at the age of eighteen. He had multi-colored eyes due to his rather odd heritage. Both were useful in combat since they sported two rather unknown Doujutsu. One of his eyes was colored a faded blue while the other was dark silver. His skin was lighter than Ikate's by a few shades, but his build was a little bit heavier than Ikate's. The boy tended to wear a gray coat with a dark red sash crossing the chest of it. Under the coat, he wore a fishnet shirt with brown shorts. Strapped to his right side was his Odatchi while his kunai pouch was situated on his right thigh. The sash he wore over his coat wrapped around his right shoulder and left side. It was his secret weapon since it was made of chakra-reinforced fabric and chakra absorbent thread was woven into it as well.

Both of the boys were very skilled despite the fact they were still Genin. The only reason that Ikate and Hatori hadn't made Chunin was that their families had interfered while trying to get them to back out of the Ninja Lifestyle.

Hatori's clan was known as the Sarumi Clan. The Sarumi were at the top of the political food chain in Iwagakure. They were known as the Matriarchal sharks to those committed to politics due to their very heavily woman-based command line. Hatori's mother was the head, however, she had Hatori out of wedlock and so Hatori was not entitled to anything but her name.

Ikate's clan was a little more complicated than Hatori's. His clan was the Mayuri Clan, which specialized in the medical side of things in Iwagakure. His uncle was the standing head of the clan, but he had already chosen Ikate to be the head over his three daughters that happened to be priestesses. Ikate's clan hardly ever involved themselves in the Ninja World, but with their Heir being a somewhat respected Ninja they had been dragged into it.

Both of the boys had to go to meetings and they had to establish treaties on behalf of their families, despite Hatori's outcast status because he was considered a bastard child. The past Chunin Exams had been right during several meetings with their families, and because neither could afford to make their relatives angrier with them without risking losing everything, they had both pushed the exams aside.

In Naruto's opinion, the two needed just to show the clan heads that both of them were serious about being shinobi. Deidara had had to do the same thing in front of many other adults and he was still proving himself as the youngest Clan Head in Iwa. The judgmental behavior had been the cause for Deidara changing their names to Iwatoshi rather than keeping Rida's name.

"Earth to Hosha-Chan~." Ikate suddenly spoke, poking her cheek with his index finger. Naruto flushed again and pulled away from the male's hand after she had been caught so deep in thought. The green haired boy chuckled at her reaction while he leaned forward with his chin resting on his hands.

Hatori glanced at her over the rim of his cup of water, worry playing in his oddly colored gaze. Deidara was frowning as he looked at her and his teammate.

Naruto coughed into her hand, her cheeks darkening at all the attention.

"N-Nani?"(1) The blonde questioned all three Nin.

Hatori set his cup down on the table as his lips twitched upward over her confusion. His voice rang with humor as he spoke. "We were wondering about your Genin Team. Deidara mentioned you had finally received one worthy enough in the Old Man's eyes."

Naruto froze as she took in everyone's gaze again, chuckling and rubbing the back of her neck while she thought of what to say.

She could not very well just come out and say that all of her teammates were guys. If she did then all three of the boys before her would most likely go ballistic. In addition, while Naruto was okay with Deidara's protective instinct she really did not need Ikate's jealous rage or Hatori's calm and diplomatic downplaying. It wasn't much of a secret to those that knew them that she was cherished by each member of Deidara's Genin Team, even the part where Ikate saw her as more than a simple friend did.

"Well…Uh…" Naruto looked around frantically as she stumbled over a reply. She took in the narrowing eyes as she swallowed the thick lump in her throat. It seemed she was screwed either way.

That had been the tense atmosphere that surrounded all them that Roshi decided to walk into a moment later; his head tilting in confusion over the rather fierce stare down his apprentice was enduring under the gazes of her protective males.

Roshi muttered a curse under his breath before he decided to rescue the poor blonde. "Naruto, hurry it up. The boys are waiting for us at the Gates."

Naruto turned sharply to Roshi, her eyes wide with relief as she shot from her seat faster than the Jinchuuriki had ever witnessed before.

"O-oh good…w-well by Hatori, I-Ikate…Deidara-Ni!" Naruto shouted over her shoulder as she grabbed Roshi's arm and sped away from the scene, her steps leaving dust in her wake.

I~~~~I

Naruto panted as she collapsed along with Roshi and her teammates a few miles outside of Iwa. Roshi and she had met their team at the gates and had promptly dragged Shisui, Darui, and Yarui without another word toward the general direction of their mission for the morning.

Roshi had been the first to stop and drop Yarui and Darui from his shoulders, Naruto letting go of Shisui's arm as she fell to the ground.

"T-Thank you R-Roshi…Ugh…I'm not gonna be able to go home at this rate…Stupid Old Man could have been the one to tell them he gave me an all guy team…"

Naruto hissed under her breath as she tried to even out her pulse. The other three Genin were all staring at her as if she had grown a second head since none of the three understood why they had to dash madly from Iwa.

Shisui, the most logical of the group, decided to question his Sensei and fellow teammate.

"Sensei…Why did you two drag us from Iwa so fast?"

Naruto groaned as she looked at the boy before she decided she should let Roshi answer and promptly collapsed back onto the ground.

Roshi glared at her. He reluctantly replied to Shisui as he tried to burn holes into his apprentice's head. "Naruto here had to tell her protective older brother and his brats for teammates that she had an all guy team. They tend to be a little insane when it comes to other people even looking at their Gaki."

Shisui cast a glance to Yarui and Darui, the other two shrugging at him. Naruto huffed in annoyance at the three and slowly started to sit up.

"Whatever…Anyways, what mission do we have?"

Roshi continued to glare at the blonde-haired Kunoichi while he explained the parameters.

"The Old Man wants us to go to the west outcropping. There have apparently been some wolves that have stolen some of the rations from a nearby village, and they requested that we deal with them. I wanted the mission that involves taking supplies to border patrol, but the Old Man suggested we might as well do the easy stuff before we focus on C-rank material…Something about D-ranks not being done right anymore and all that."

Roshi muttered under his breath near the end of his explanation.

Naruto nodded along with her teammates to show they understood.

Naruto knew better than most how the mission system was rather messed up. Iwa was rather pushy with their Ninja's and left most of the in-village 'chores' or E-ranked missions for the Genin to do. Missions that involved the outside of the village but within Tsuchi no Kuni were D-ranked and C-ranked. Any mission located outside of the country was B-ranked or higher.

D-rank missions most often involved the smaller villages and residences outside of Iwagakure. C-ranked missions mostly consisted of jobs around the border of Tsuchi no Kuni. Naruto tended to do C-ranks and B-ranks when she went with Roshi, but on the off chance, she would be assigned a D-rank and she had even gone on an A-ranked mission as an escort with Deidara for the Tsuchikage.

It wasn't too surprising that their team had been given a D-rank mission considering they were newly formed. One thing that was surprising, however, was the fact that the Old Man had trusted them to do it right when his other Ninja hadn't.

Naruto steeled herself for a rather taxing but still rewarding few days with her team. She would not allow the Tsuchikage to regret placing his belief in their abilities.

Based on the resigned and yet confident looks playing on her companions' faces, they were thinking along the same line as she was.

I~~~~I

Naruto's fingers snapped into place after she had launched into the air, wind chakra curling in her gut.

"Wind Style, Gale Bullet!"

The blonde-haired woman's hair whipped backward after her shout as highly compressed air flew down to the five savage wolves snapping their jaws at her.

The wolves were far from friendly and were at least the size of one of the damn Ninja Hounds that the Inuzuka of Konoha were so fond of. They all were bloodthirsty and crazed as well and had shown as much in the face of Naruto's team.

Despite their savage nature, Team Roshi had them under control.

Shisui had noticed Naruto's incentive and had prepared fire chakra for when she had finished. A second after Naruto's gale was fired the boy was shouting his own technique. "Fire Style, Phoenix Flare!"

A rather large sized string of blazes struck Naruto's jutsu, expanding it into a swelling blaze that lit the spiky terrain they were in before it engulfed the pack of wolves whole. Naruto landed in a crouch on the ground. Flames danced across her blue eyes as she tuned out the whimpers of their targets and simply enjoyed the warmth of the blaze she and Shisui had just created.

Said Ninja glanced to her with a nod and a simple tilt of his lips. His friends were keeping an eye of the blaze for any stragglers. Darui seemed to be quite still for a few moments before his glazed eyes snapped to attention again.

"That's all of them." Darui intoned his voice firm. Naruto wondered for a moment how he knew, but then she remembered that the boy had explained being a Sensor earlier.

A victorious grin crossed Naruto's lips, her arm shooting up in a cheer. "Yosh! Alright then, we should find Sensei so we can go get the reward money from the village."

Shisui nodded to her while Yarui joined in on her cheering, his right arm slinging over the blonde-haired Kunoichi's shoulder. Darui fell back beside Shisui and the two shared a glance over the rather rambunctious nature of their other teammates.

They all worked rather well together when they combined Darui's ability to pinpoint their enemy, Yarui's ability to contain that enemy, and Naruto and Shisui's abilities to deal with said enemy.

Team Roshi was going to excel together; there was no doubt in any of their minds.

I~~~~I

 **And there is the first D-Rank for Team Roshi. If any of you have suggestions for missions or even a name for their team, do not be afraid to mention it.**

 **As for the whole Missions classifications, I decided on the difference from Konoha's missions because Iwa is much more militaristic and it is well known that Konoha focuses on Teamwork with most, hence the team building D-Ranks. I see Iwa as the Ninja village that trains tanks that go out and fight as soon as they leave the academy. I already mentioned that the Academy is much harder than Konoha's, and that ties in with the Pre-Genin already doing missions. Naruto is also able to go on higher-ranking missions because Roshi is a damn Jinchuuriki and her brother is already a Jonin.**

 **As for Deidara's teammates, well that part is very plot oriented, but I had already made their families very political and so that helped. As a way to keep the two from advancing into the Ninja ranks, their Families forced them to not go to the Chunin Exams. Deidara was able to advance so quickly because he is favored by the Tsuchikage and has no one to keep him from doing so.**

 **Other comments-**

 **(1)-Nani:** Nani is Japanese for what. I used it because I like to sneak some sayings in once and awhile.

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Drabble- Ikate the Womanizer**

The very first time Naruto met Ikate, she kicked him in the face.

Ikate never allowed her to live the moment down, despite the fact she hadn't known who Ikate was and he had flirted horribly with her.

The Tsuchikage still laughed to the point of hurting himself when the topic was brought up.

It was on one of the days she had been delivering paperwork to the aged Kage.

Ikate had come to give Oniki the update on the hospital as well as the new trainees.

The two had run into each other right outside the door, and instead of helping Naruto up like a logical person, Ikate had taken one look at her on the floor and raised a brow.

"If you wanted to praise me you could have waited until I finished work."

Ikate chortled at her, smirking as Naruto's eyes narrowed on him.

Oniki had looked up from his desk in time to witness Naruto flip up and kick Ikate under his chin, glaring at him as she did so.

Ikate had hit the wall and slid down it in a state of shock as Naruto calmly stood, grabbed her papers, and stalked into the Kage's office.

At the time, she was barely eight years old, and so she looked far cuter when angry than she did as she grew older.

Ikate would forever say that her hair whipping about her amidst her fury had been what made him fall for her the first time.


	6. Zeta

It was official. Menma hated Kakashi, he hated the Jonin with the passion.

After becoming an official Genin Team Menma had thought that they'd be doing actual missions. The missions didn't have to be too crazy, just something nice that pushed them but not too far.

And that was when Kakashi had come waltzing onto their training ground with Mitarashi Anko in tow.

Menma had met Anko back when Sashiko was just made into a Genin. The woman had apparently known Sashiko since the girl was four, mostly due to Sashi's godfather being the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, Anko's Sensei. Anko was a very eccentric individual who had a distinct view on the world of Ninja and how it should work. The woman was by no means a whiny person, as she had no tolerance for those people. Instead, Anko was a strong willed female that could knock anyone for a loop.

In fact, she had done just that once she and Kakashi had started testing their abilities.

Currently, Menma was dealing with her snakes, weaving around them and struggling to dodge with every jutsu he knew available without hurting the snakes or worse, hurting himself. Sasuke wasn't doing much better on Kakashi's course from hell, while Sakura was being tortured by Anko as well, only this torture involved not just running, but dodging Kunai while listening to Anko's sadistic laughter. All in all Team Seven felt screwed, pissed off, and rather vengeful toward their sensei.

Menma would prefer D-rank chores to this training session, even if he had already started to notice where and how to dodge lest he be cornered by too many snakes. Still, at the very least they weren't being hunted or put into the forest of death, made to defend themselves and each other with only the basic knowledge they were supplied with in the Academy.

"Hmm…I think we can do this again for a few more days, and then maybe after that, we can work on your guys' teamwork. Perhaps…a little survivor training is in order before we head out on a C-Rank."

Menma hated Kakashi. He hated himself for thinking because Kakashi had just read his mind and created an even worse scenario. Based on the cries from his teammates, Sasuke and Sakura agreed.

They finally finished the session several hours later as the sun was dropping low in the sky, each of their muscles aching horribly while they all leaned on one another, wondering what to do next. Anko had left with a friendly wave while Kakashi had talked about finding another Sensei to help out since Anko was busy the remainder of the week.

All three students turned to one another and agreed in silence to kill their Sensei the moment they had the chance. First, however, they needed some food and a good night's rest.

I~~~~I

The days passed by with more training, some of the sessions not nearly as bad as the first, others worse. At some point, Kakashi had remembered that he wasn't the only Sensei and had invited in the other Rookie teams that had passed so that they could all get to know one another. Often the teams from a single year would be put on the same teams when they reached a higher rank or went on higher missions. This meant that the teams had not only to focus on Teamwork between their immediate members but also the others in their passing class.

That left Team Seven to take their hand in introducing Teams Eight and Ten to their hellish regime.

The first day with the other teams wasn't as successful, but the next one went quite well.

I~~~~I

Menma ducked under the kick that Kiba directed at his head, swiveling around Akamaru as the dog tried to land a hit. He drew his fist up in order to strike Kiba's shoulder, only for the Inuzuka to grab his fist and send him over his shoulder with a harsh tug. The Namikaze Heir flew into the air, flipping around to deliver an ax kick to Kiba's back.

The blows continued, most of them being blocked or dodged. The two worked around each other while Kurenai watched them. Kakashi was watching Ino and Shino as they fought, and Asuma took note of the battle between Sakura and Choji. Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Hinata all sat off on the sidelines waiting for their turns with whatever opponents were needed. The first round was a simple warmup that had them working with someone with similar strengths to their own. The second would involve a much harsher match between their worst matchup, and after that, they'd all sit down and discuss the matches. The several matches going on at once were meant to gauge the other's awareness to the happenings around them.

"Alright, that's enough Kiba, Menma. Walk it off while I ask the others about what they saw."

Menma gasped, panting gently as he let go of the grip he had on Kiba's shoulder, the other male halting his fist from where it had nearly smashed into Menma's gut. The boys grinned at one another, both sweating to some degree, but rather glad to be working off their sore muscles with the light sparring.

They both walked toward the other Genin, each calming down their bodies with the simple actions so they wouldn't shock themselves. It was never good to go from a workout to staying still, as it would do more harm than good. This was the reason why Kurenai had ordered them to walk it off rather than sit down right away.

"Okay, so what did you notice with their spar?" Kurenai questioned the unmatched kids, each of them still paying attention to the other fights that were drawing to a close, while also meeting her gaze.

Hinata tentatively raised her hand, earning a smile as Kurenai nodded to her. The shy girl blushed as she spoke, poking her fingers together to form diamonds, and occasionally, a heart.

"M-Menma-Kun tends to use his right m-more than his left…Kiba-Kun also likes t-to rush into t-Things."

Kurenai nodded, smirking while she glanced to the two other males, awaiting answers.

Sasuke sighed as he spoke up.

"In strength, Kiba has Menma beat soundly, however, when it comes to strategy and keeping his head above his opponents Menma is better. When Kiba charges Menma is already thinking about what moves he'll make and several ways to deflect, dodge, or parry each one."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, closing his eyes tiredly as he added onto Sasuke's explanation. "Kiba doesn't think ahead and instead in the moment. Menma tends to use that to his advantage, but the further he gets into a battle the less he plans. He grows frustrated with his plans and resorts to instinct."

Kurenai nodded to both of the explanations, taking each one before she looked to Menma and Kiba. Kiba was flushed a little from the criticism, while Menma looked to be thinking over what they had said, nodding along with some of the points they had made. Obviously, the boy knew to take the criticism and use it to better himself, if at a slower pace than most.

Truly, Menma was both his father's child as well as his mother's. He had his father's critical thinking but also his mother's energetic style added to his creativity. Kiba had all of his mother's personality, fierce and headstrong right up until someone smacked some sense into him. After listening to not just Kurenai but also the other Rookie's for two days, he was slowly starting to accept what they saw and maybe even adjust his ways. Kiba would always be headstrong, but at least he would still know when to push harder and when to back off. Menma on the other hand just needed to know when to add force to the situation, since he was still quite docile unless provoked.

Kakashi and Asuma returned to the huddled group of students. Kakashi called Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Hinata forward so he could get them fighting, while Asuma started questioning the two returning groups.

They worked through the different weaknesses of the group before they waited for the last match to end so they could choose who happened to be the worst opponent that they could face.

Each student pressed themselves further, continuing to push until they all collapsed together near the end of the third match, completely exhausted.

It was quite the relief for all of them when Sashiko's team arrived with enough food and drinks for each person to come out of it energized.

The very next day when they had to paint fences, walk hellhounds, and take care of babies didn't even manage to dampen their moods.

I~~~~I

By the end of the fourth week of training mixed with one or two simple D-ranks, Kakashi decided to send his team out on a C-Rank mission. Kurenai and Asuma also took the liberty to take their own missions, Kurenai gaining a courier run while Asuma chose a simple escort mission for a goat merchant.

Kakashi's team had garnered a rather different mission.

I~~~~I

"Alright, so next to another merchant escort mission there is a mission to the Land of Hot springs to help out some farmers, and another to deliver supplies to the border patrol near Suna."

Iruka's calm voice did wonders for the slightly tired Genin. They had all rested well the night before, but there was still some tingling in their adjusting muscles after the training session two days ago.

As per custom, a Chunin officer that had been instated for over five years, in this case, Iruka, was overseeing the younger mission assignments. A Jonin covered the missions for higher ranking personnel, and any other missions were given in a different manner by other people. Iruka tended to be the chosen candidate for the missions desk when he wasn't teaching, which was over half the year.

Before Minato had changed the mission assigning and ranking system, he had to be there to oversee the missions that were assigned. After he had divided the responsibility to trusted individuals, other than S-Ranks and higher, the paperwork load had decreased. In addition to all of those things, the Police Force took care of the assignment of E-Ranks to the Academy. The Police Force also cycled the civilian and shinobi complaints through different circles, dividing them to other offices like Civilian legal, financial, and several other offices, or just the Genin, Chunin, or Jonin Commanders.

Things tended to work smoother with the newer system, and it left Minato to deal with far more important matters. Menma had seen his father's paperwork before and after him and his advisor, Orochimaru, had tackled the problem, so he knew.

"Mah…Maybe the delivery mission would work." Kakashi idly commented to Iruka, drawing the brunette's attention to him.

Iruka huffed at Kakashi, his warm hazel eyes narrowing into an icy glare as he hissed out an accusation at the Jonin. "Only if you _actually_ do the paperwork, Hatake-San."

Kakashi laughed sheepishly behind his mask, rubbing his head of silver hair in a familiar manner while his closed eye turned into its dreaded 'n' shape.

"Aw, Iruka-Kun, you wound me. I would never give you so much trouble.~"

Kakashi tried to placate the Chunin that had been his Genin's sensei, neither his students nor Iruka buying a single second of his bullshit. Iruka had dealt with Kakashi's late paperwork long enough to know, while the Genin had come to understand that their Sensei was an asshole over the past weeks working with him.

The Jonin seemed to realize that he wasn't going to fake his way out of this situation, and he grew rather fidgety next to his glaring Genin and the deadpanning Iruka.

"Uh huh, sure Hatake-San."

Iruka commented blandly, looking to the three Genin for their input. While it was true that the Sensei often selected the mission, Iruka wasn't in the mood to deal with Kakashi's eccentric Jonin nature.

Least of all when a Jonin rushed into the room with a hard expression on his face.

"Jonin Hatake, the Hokage demands your presence. Chunin Iruka, send a notice to all available Genin Teams quickly, there is a code crash."

Kakashi's mind froze, each thought bouncing toward the teams he had seen leave with missions. One, in particular, caught his attention. A team with a certain blue haired Oreshizoku, heading to Wave on a B-Rank with an order to remain on guard. Things hadn't gone well in Wave recently, and a Bridge Builder coming over requesting help had made things worse. The Jonin these days weren't really available to go on such missions alone, and so Team Six, or Team Yamato as they were known now, was picked.

Code Crash meant an expected, but still, the dangerous event had happened. Considering that Yamato was one of the strongest Jonin that Kakashi knew, that something had to be much bigger than the rumored Seven Swordsman under Gato's thumb.

All of Team Seven was on alert and marching quickly to the Hokage's office after they realized what the Jonin had just said.

In the Academy, students were taught several basic codes. Crash happened to be the most stressed code to all students after so many mishaps happened on simple missions. In layman's terms Crash meant that the mission had an unexpected element in a known to be a bad situation.

It seemed that Minato's strange orders for him to make the Genin wait in the village a few more days than he had originally wanted to wait started to make sense.

I~~~~I

That's a wrap. I enjoyed writing this after the hectic time I had. The first day of school is today, which is horrid. I'm sorry the update is a day late too, but it slipped my mind. I have all honors curses this year, which is just lovely, but Student Council seems to be an easier and fun interlude to my day. Our homecoming though is a week earlier, so I'm not really looking forward to the scrambling.

 **Anyways thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and I also hope you continue to!**

 **Omake- Time Travel, Again**

Akihane raised a brow, staring down the familiar face of her double, Naruto.

Naruto looked at her, then he turned his head to the other blonde, this one female, and he began to sweat.

"H-Hey…I-I really didn't mean to summon you guys, b-but the jutsu w-went wrong a-and…"

Akihane huffed, turning to the female Naruto beside her.

"So, are you a part of a powerful bloodline, have the tragic backstory or did you not grow up in Konoha?"

The Naruto wearing an Iwa Headprotector laughed softly, smiling sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.

"All of the above, actually."

The Narutos sighed together, bowing their heads in exasperation.

"Whoever is twisting these things around…"

They all nodded in unison, scaring the pink haired woman and her raven haired partner as they watched.


	7. Eta

Naruto had been correct when she had said that Team Roshi would work well together.

After several more D-rank missions and even a few C-Ranks involving the less than hospitable animals and the bandits that thought they could take from the people of Tsuchi no Kuni or even the Military power of Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage allowed them to take a B-rank mission.

The Mission was supposed to get those from Team Roshi more integrated with those from Deidara's Team, because Naruto would often be working with her brother and it would drag the other members together.

The mission they were given was a simply meet and greet mission meant to check out if the newest business proposal, one from Wave Country done by the billionaire Gato, was worth agreeing to. The Teams were led under Deidara, while Roshi would stay behind for another mission ordered in by the Tsuchikage. The other members of the team would mostly be there as the backup team while Deidara's team was the diplomatic party in disguise.

Too bad Naruto had to deal with the over protective male's and her teammates the entire way. At least the Tsuchikage had given her permission to kick he brother's ass if he messed with her too much.

I~~~~I

"So, Naruto, what's your brother's team like, anyways?"

Yarui broke the silence that had descended after Roshi had briefed his team and dismissed them. The four members had quickly left to go get packed, and were now on their way to eat before heading out.

Naruto sighed and looked up, trying to think of a way to explain her brother's team correctly. She settled on the most basic explanation she knew.

"Deidara's the brash one, but he is kind and caring. He will have our backs on the mission. Hatori is the calm one, but he is honestly the scariest of the three. He is the one that plans the strategies most of the time. As for Ikate…"

Naruto trailed off as she tried to think. It was honestly hard to describe Ikate without saying a few choice words.

"He's an ass."

A voice called from behind them, turning Yarui and Shisui's attention to the scowling Darui. Seeing the other blonde scowling was an odd sight, one that was reserved for those he had no lost love over. Thinking back, Naruto remembered that Darui had a little sister training to be a priestess. Considering that Ikate had his three cousins that were around her age becoming Priestesses, then it wasn't a stretch to think he had met Darui or his sister.

"Woah, how do you know him Darui?" Yarui questioned, leaning close with a raised brow.

Darui huffed and turned away before he answered the boy. "He tried flirting with my little sister. She punched his face in."

Naruto wasn't surprised. Ikate liked blondes, and he also was a little bit of a flirt when it came to most of the ladies in Iwa. He tended to be more serious about such things around Naruto, but she wasn't that interested in boys or dating. She was a Kunoichi and she had her mind set on making her way to stand beside Deidara so he didn't have to be so alone.

The others had taken note of her rather serious mood, quieting down to let her think. She smiled at them, grateful that they understood. While none of them had gone through her situation, they still understood what she needed. It was a relief next to the people that pretended to know what to do or those that forced their own thoughts onto her.

I~~~~I

After eating at a rather nice teahouse the four went to meet the others that would be joining them at one of the gates. Deidara stood alongside Hatori, while Ikate was chatting with one of the Kunoichi guards who didn't look an ounce amused over his comments about her attire or the 'rich chocolate brown' of her hair and eyes.

Naruto snickered at the sight, used to such things after running several missions with the team. Ikate had a smooth tongue, that was true, but he also tended to overdo his flirting.

Hatori met her gaze and they shared mirthful smirks while Deidara took note of the three tagging along with his sister.

Yarui met Deidara's gaze head on with a bright grin, copying Naruto's tendency to raise her hands behind her head. Shisui was casting curious and wary looks over all of the members, while Darui was doing his best to ignore Ikate.

In the end Deidara nodded at the males and ordered everyone together to take note of their supplies.

"Alright, so quick introductions, un."

He paused a moment before continuing. "I'm Iwatoshi Deidara, commander for this mission, while the blue haired nin, and the second in command is Sarumi Hatori, and the green haired idiot is Mayuri Ikate, un."

Deidara finished by gesturing toward Naruto to introduce her teammates.

Smirking, Naruto pointed to each one.

"So the stoic raven is Kopi Hesei Shisui, while the energetic one is Oduriko Yarui. Last but not least we have my grumpy copy, Ryutai Darui."

Yarui laughed at her description of the team, reaching over to put his arm around her shoulder. Naruto returned the gesture, ignoring the way Ikate had stiffened and Hatori had narrowed his eyes on the boy.

Deidara ignored it with the practice of a Jonin and started to take count of their supplies. He took the list Naruto had made of her company's supplies, leaving him to add it with his own. After he had finished taking inventory, all of them looked to him for instruction.

"Come on, we have a long ways to go, in fact I would say a good week and a half of traveling, maybe more, before we arrive there, un."

There was another pause to make sure everyone had heard him before Deidara continue speaking. "Tsuchikage-Sama told me to take my time if it was worth it, and to cut our losses if Gato turns out to be like most merchants tend to be. While we walk I suppose you all can discuss abilities, but for now we'll go with granite position with the younger closer to the middle, un."

Deidara waited for everyone to take formation, before he nodded sharply. With a simple wave of his hand everyone took off running across the rocky wasteland.

I~~~~I

By the end of the first day, the teams had made it to the edge of Tsuchi no Kuni, setting up camp near the border of Kusa. They would skirt through Kusa and Ame as quickly as possible, only relaxing slightly when they reached the Kawa no Kuni before continuing over the ocean on a fare boat supplied by Gato to Nami no Kuni. The path was one that left Hi no Kuni alone since none of them wanted to deal with Konoha and its shinobi.

They set camp quickly and divided the time spent on watch evenly, Naruto taking first with Hatori while Shisui and Yarui took the next, Darui and Deidara left with the one after that, Ikate having to deal with the last alone.

Deidara had only to glare at the male in order to silence his mutters over how he wanted watch with Naruto. The complaints were only half-serious, after all.

Hatori was excellent company, allowing Naruto to sit next to him and talk to him about everything that had happened without any interruptions. She even told him about her newer techniques involving exploding tags, some of Deidara's clay, and a well-placed wind jutsu.

The night passed without incident, Naruto falling asleep on Hatori's shoulder after they were relieved of their duties.

I~~~~I

The next few nights followed the same pattern, each person taking watch with a different person each time so everyone got to know each other better. At the end of the fourth day they reached the edge of Kawa no Kuni and Ame and stopped for supplies.

They left the village without incident, trekking through Kawa on foot or even on boats.

It only took them four more days to reach the ocean, and by then most of them were ready to take a break from running through wetlands and overtop water. It had been hilarious to watch Yarui and Shisui get a hold of the ability after starting to master it only a few days before they left Iwa, but wet Genin aside things went well.

Deidara ordered everyone to stock up on supplies while he went to meet the escort Gato had provided them with, Naruto taking the opportunity to ditch her teammates and go find some food.

As Naruto looked, she found that most of the shops only had seafood. While it was too be expected for this area, she was craving something different than what those places were offering. It was only after moving into a shadier part of the port town that she found what she was looking for. Nestled between a teashop and a pawnshop was a simple ramen stand decorated in blue and grey banners. Naruto was quick to duck inside and grab herself a bowl of the first thing she saw.

By the time she had walked back to the others she was smiling and satisfied. Ever since her last escort mission with Deidara regarding the Tsuchikage traveling through Ta no Kuni, Naruto had been craving the heavenly food that was Ramen.

In Ta no Kuni Naruto had her first bowl of the lovely food, and ever since then she had loved it. However, in Tsuchi people were still adjusting and as such no one really knew about the food or how to prepare it the same way that the old woman in Ta no Kuni had.

Deidara's amused glance told her he knew what she had gone after, but she didn't really care. Ramen was her favorite food next to her father's hot curry. Not much could make her feel bad about eating several bowls, not even the horrified looks those stepping into the ramen stand had given her when they watched her devour the noodles and broth rather quickly, only to ask for another bowl to add to her towering stack. The owners of the stand would no doubt have more than enough money to work with for a good month or so.

I~~~~I

Naruto rather hated water. She didn't understand why people enjoyed the cold or the wet parts that surely came with it, or the rocking on a boat followed by the smell. She would much rather bask in the sun or even stay hidden in one of the few sturdy trees Iwa was home to. There was also the fact that the nice smell of the wind was covered up by the smell of salt, which annoyed Naruto greatly.

The blonde haired Kunoichi was a very space-conscious person, so being held up on a boat for too long was slowly killing her. She missed land quite a bit, but didn't allow that to cloud her thoughts. They were still on edge around Gato's men; even after the warm welcome they had been given. No one trusted the smirking faces of the cocky 'samurai' that Gato had hired, especially after they had commented on Naruto one too many time to be appropriate.

There was a rather unanimous relief among the group of Iwa Shinobi when they finally reached Wave after another three days.

I~~~~I

Naruto hated Gato. The moment she met the pig she hated his guts and wanted to stab him with several hundred explosive kunai before shoving explosive clay up his ass while happily chanting 'kai' repeatedly. The many was a slimy bastard, but he also was very good at what he did. Gato offered Iwa many of the profits that he was extorting from the land he occupied, if they helped him secure it. This meant that they could not really argue or how he ran things or what he was doing. Nami was a very profitable trading partner, especially if they stole it away from Hi no Kuni.

So Naruto held her tongue and allowed Deidara to talk to the man that kept glancing her way, she held Yarui back when the man commented on her in the same manner his hired hands had, and she turned the other way when he tried to goad her.

In fact, Naruto began to dodge the man and remove herself from his presence rather quickly, and soon she was hardly ever seen around him at all.

Instead, Naruto found solace in the other Nin that Gato had already hired. The Missing Nin were a rather odd and an equally unpleasant surprise, but the benefits from the deal were too great to push aside over something as simple as mercenary Nin.

Naruto found she did not mind Momochi Zabuza or his apprentice Yuki Haku that much anyways.

Haku was a very insightful male when it came to poisons and medicinal practices. Zabuza ended up being someone to bounce Kenjutsu ideas and techniques off, right up until they both argued enough that they ended up sparring. Zabuza was far stronger than Naruto, but it was still nice to test her strength against him and receive pointers. Shisui and Darui also grabbed some new techniques, while Yarui started learning some of the medical techniques with Naruto.

Over all it was a nice time, despite the less than savory businessperson all of them hated to work with.

However, that was about the time when the Konoha Shinobi decided to show up and ruin their carefully thought out plans.

I~~~~I

Naruto started her day off by going out with Haku in order to gather some herbs and just enjoy the Nami scenery. When the two had returned to the house Gato had given the Nin to live in temporarily, they had found Zabuza and Deidara talking about how they wanted to work through a new development.

A few days before the team from Iwa had arrived a Bridge Builder by the name of Tazuna had made his way out of Nami in order to find outside help to protect him while he worked on his bridge. The Bridge Builder had started his project little over a year ago, planning to connect Nami with the mainland so that Nami could break free from Gato's reign. Gato did not like that idea, and so he had sent Zabuza's partners, the Demon Brothers of the Mist, Gozu and Mizu, only for neither of them to return. It was obvious that the team Tazuna had procured was a lot stronger than what Gato had thought he could afford, which meant that the next one to go fight them would be Zabuza.

Gato, however, had felt that Zabuza wasn't overkill enough and had jumped at the chance to force the Iwa Shinobi into a rather difficult position. In order to keep their deal with Gato they had to help Zabuza, and that meant sending one of them with the Ninja of the Bloody Mist in order to fight the Konoha Shinobi.

"I'll go." Naruto spoke up after gathering all she could about the situation, taking into account that out of everyone Zabuza was least likely to get pissed with her and she knew his style better than the rest of her teammates.

Deidara opened his mouth to protest, before he shut it and began to think over the idea. Zabuza turned to her and looked up and down her figure, taking in how she had started to look and act around them, as well as the fact that she was an interesting person to talk with.

"Hm." Zabuza hummed, his bandages twitching in a way that meant he was smirking.

"I suppose the Gaki wouldn't be too much trouble to bring along. An Iwa Shinobi might even push Konoha to return. They wouldn't want to cause anything, after all."

Zabuza idly commented at them both in a way that sealed the deal before Deidara had even made his choice.

The sigh that the explosion specialist made told her he knew it too.

I~~~~I

In the end, the blonde haired Kunoichi sat among the twisting branches of Nami's trees, lying in wait for the team of Konoha Shinobi.

She wondered about them, especially who they were. Taking out B-Rank Shinobi wasn't rare, but it was surprising that Tazuna had managed to scrounge up the money to pay for Ninja capable of doing so.

Suddenly, a spot of blue began to emerge from the shifting leaves of the trees. The shade of the object was much darker than that of the waves the country was named after, which left very little guesses left as to what it was. What Naru saw next confirmed her thoughts.

The intruder had pale skin, followed by a small body decorated in several visible weapons. The girl was probably a year or so older than Naruto, but younger than Deidara. After her, there was another pale teen with black hair and another with red hair and tanned skin. All three of them looked relaxed and rather harmless, and Naruto would have had to double check if it were not for the headbands decorating their person. The three wore their headbands in varying styles on their heads, the girl's keeping back her shoulder-length locks along while the redhead's pressed against his high-tail. The pale raven wore his in the standard manner.

Other than that the only other notable feature of the three was the fact that a scratched up Konoha headband adorned the girl's right arm. As far as Naruto knew, only one clan wore extra headbands on their arms. The clan was a scattered one, much like the famed Uzumaki, but several known members resided in Konoha.

Soon after the three were made visible, two older brown-haired people came into view. One of the men was obviously a Jonin, while the other was a shoe in for the Bridge Builder Gato had described. The Jonin was rather plain, but Naruto wouldn't write him off too quickly. The fact that the man was teaching an apparent member to the Oreshizoku Clan and one that very closely resembled an Uzumaki was more than enough to make her warry, if not the fact that the man was a Jonin.

Offhandedly Naru noticed that Zabuza had signaled to her a little ways away. Soon after the signal was given, the Missing Nin's plan was set into action.

To the right of the Konoha team Haku placed her white rabbit down before she quickly fled the area. Naruto reached over to grab onto the kunai in her pouches while she took in the scene bellow. The girl had apparently noticed Haku's sudden appearance. She calmly reached and grabbed a kunai, flinging it casually toward the area Naru knew the bunny resided.

No one went for the bait, all of them tensing while Tenzo's eyes narrowed on the stiffened form of the white rabbit. The red haired boy glanced back to his Sensei. The man only nodded once.

Zabuza chose that as the time to launch his blade at the team. However, in a rather surprising display of power, the girl blocked the giant clever.

" _Blood Style, Six Petaled Blood Lotus!_ "The girl shouted, red chakra rushing up her body and to her aide. The blade barely hit the wall of razor sharp petals before it was knocked away, right into Zabuza's awaiting hand.

The girl didn't drop her jutsu, keeping it around her team and the Bridge Builder while they all took offensive stances. The one who had looked toward Haku when she dropped the Bunny was angled toward that spot and Zabuza, his blade held in a forward grip. The pale raven had moved to the other side of his female teammate, while the Sensei was in front of the girl.

The formation was similar to the granite position, with the most critical members further from the enemy. With the girl's barrier, attacks really did not mean as much and it only strengthened the formation.

At least, it would have if Zabuza were alone. Naruto figured that she would use this to her advantage and wait before launching into the fray. Besides, Zabuza looked to be having fun talking with the Jonin Sensei whose name she learned was Tenzo.

So, Naru waited up in her little area, taking in the situation while she tried to figure out the best way to off the Bridge Builder. Zabuza took great pleasure in trying to scare the ninja he faced, but it seemed like Tenzo's Genin Team was made of stronger stuff than most were.

That said, Naru found her opening when the girl finally allowed her barrier to drop once their sensei vanished mid-battle with Zabuza.

Quickly, Naru tugged at her kunai pouch and pulled out a single kunai, her eyes narrowing on her target as she flashed forward in a blur of speed. Years of running from Roshi had upped her agility as well as her ability to traverse various landscapes. She had trained in the forests of Hi no Kuni and over the rushing rivers of Kawa no Kuni. She had bounded over the sands in Kaze no Kuni and made her way through the mountains of Tsuchi no Kuni, and throughout all of that she had managed to not die during one of Roshi's harsh training regimes.

There was barely a second between the blue haired girl noticing Naru's presence and the arching of Naru's kunai to Tazuna's neck.

Tazuna noticed her the same moment that the Kunoichi had, which left him to watch in horror as his death creeped up on him. Belatedly, Naru promised that she would address Nami no Kuni's treatment with the Tsuchikage, if only because of this one brave old man.

Her eyes widened when something impacted her chest, a strong force sending her far away from the bridge builder as chakra began to build up in the direction of the two Jonin.

Naru turned with the impact, carefully pushing her chakra to catch herself as she touched the ground with her right palm and evened out into a crouch. A rolling blaze was making its way toward her, a familiar flash of working with Shisui popping into her mind fast enough for her to summon the willing pieces of Wind that she always held around her body. Calling out the familiar name of the Gale Bullet left Naru's element to pulse and force itself into the blaze, wrapping around the roaring technique before it propelled it right back at the Kunoichi who had sent it in the first place.

The Kunoichi vanished, a log landing in her place. From the sides of the blast both the girl and her red haired companion appeared, blades drawn and angled for attack.

Naru's lips twisted and she quickly drew her Tanto to block a strike from the Kunoichi before she parried a blow from the ninja. Both worked very well and were able to push her further than what she knew. Naru wasn't that interested in Kenjutsu, unlike Shisui happened to be. Yarui understood her sentiments, and Darui even agreed that dabbling a bit into different pools of techniques was a good thing to do. When it came down to it though, Shisui was far better than any of them with swords, while Darui took the top with weapons, and Yarui held that spot with Taijutsu.

Over the years of trying out so many different things, Naru found what her strength was. The new members of her team were quick to figure it out, especially since she kept 'showing off' during training or missions. Right now, faced with two rather skilled pupils in kenjutsu, Naru decided she might as well focus on what she was better at rather than what field she knew she was lacking skill in now.

Her Tanto shoved back the two blades, her fingers drawing up to her face to form signs. Like most of her other time spent using jutsu against new opponents, Naru chose to use her weakest element.

"Lightning Style, Scorching Fang!" She called, pulsing her chakra along her blade while she aimed the point at the male.

Shock traveled over the boy's features as he was struck in his shoulder, a sharp gasp leaving his lips while Naru grabbed some Shuriken with her free hand and aimed them at the boy.

Sweeping her blade out to the right of her, Naru blocked a rather sharp swing made by the Kunoichi before her. The girl's bright blue eyes were narrowed on her in a rather vacant manner, but Naru could see the anger in her eyes.

It was rather nice to see such a nice comradery between Ninja when their world was often filled with treachery and lies. Even so, Naru didn't have time to admire the Kunoichi's protective anger.

The boy wouldn't be able to move too much after getting hit by that attack, especially since he would get a low-dose version of the poison Naru had coated her blade with. Most of the poison's effects would be nullified from the rather odd way of transferring, though.

Naru quickly broke off the girl from her comrade, pushing her further from the battle between the Konoha Sensei and Zabuza.

From the corner of her eye Naru noticed how the male was cupping his hand into an earth symbol, but the rest of the image vanished as the fiery Kunoichi before her attacked with a series of well-thought blows.

It was in that moment that Naru witnessed the flashing red in the girl's eyes, three spinning tomo catching her own blue gaze. Everything seemed to slow down, the air becoming stale as the girl's chakra tried to overpower her own.

Darkness fell down over them both.

I~~~~I

There it is. Alright so it's been busy. Lately our English Teacher has us working on sentence structure and components, and so that had me rewording a few things and thinking a little differently. If you notice, then that is cool. Ff not then I am perfectly fine with it. As long as you understand and enjoy the content, I don't really have much else to care about.

 **All right, onto other things. I am wondering about the future basis of this story, such as pairings, storyline, and integrating Naru into Konoha. I have a basic idea of how to do so, but fitting that in cohesively will not be fine.**


	8. Theta

Naru quickly broke off the girl from her comrade, pushing her further from the battle between the Konoha Sensei and Zabuza.

From the corner of her eye, Naru noticed how the male was cupping his hand into an earth symbol, but the rest of the image vanished as the fiery Kunoichi before her attacked with a series of well-thought blows.

It was in that moment that Naru witnessed the flashing red in the girl's eyes, three spinning tomo catching her own blue gaze. Everything seemed to slow down, the air becoming stale as the girl's chakra tried to overpower her own.

Darkness fell down over them both.

I~~~~I

Naru was rather surprised with her new surroundings. She had never been caught by the Sharingan before, though she had been caught in several Genjutsu. Around Iwa, not many Shinobi used Genjutsu. Often enough Iwa Nin powered up on Ninjutsu or Taijutsu. When it came to Tsuchi no Kuni, physical performance was crucial.

This, of course, meant Naru was entirely unprepared for the stupid Oreshizoku's attack.

"You know, I hadn't expected these underhanded tactics from a TreeHugger. I suppose you felt threatened?" Naru commented to the blank space she found herself in. Her voice echoed across the nothingness, leaving her to wonder for a moment if she had spoken at all.

Shaking her head, Naru closed her eyes and thought about Deidara.

As she did, she found that she was looking right back at the white space.

Her teeth ground down and she let loose a hoarse laugh. "Of course."

She was stuck in this echoing wasteland for what seemed like forever. A situation like this was not exactly her cup of tea, dammit.

Quickly, Naru thought about Hatori and what advice he would give. The man was a genius in these situations and loved thinking about them.

A blank white space that never ended-

Her eyes widened and a grin spread across her lips. If the area was filled with light there had to be darkness, a hole or tear. No matter how 'perfect' a technique was, it still had its flaws. Thankfully for Naru, this one was very simple.

She channeled her chakra to her hands, allowing it to spread over the tips of her fingers and dance down the curved and tribal-like tattoo on her shoulder.

An inky black darkness grew in her fingers, casting swirling shadows over her surroundings as it built up and began to implode.

Her eyes glared at the area around her as the implosion grew and her mind wavered and fluxed.

"I will not be played with!"

I~~~~I

The girl backed away, gasping and clutching her head as the tomo in her eyes spun rapidly. A shout echoed from the other Genin as he called for his teammate. "Sashiko!"

Naru glared at the girl and whipped around with her dulled senses. She hissed and drew her Tanto in a single movement, dashing forward.

The girl gasped as Naru's blade slid into her ribs, slicing cleanly through her armor and her ribcage. With an added jerk, Naru tore the Tanto free and watched her opponent fall.

"Good match, but I really _hate_ disappointing Jiji." Naru offered her opponent, turning and stepping away as she took notice of the change in Zabuza's battle. The Sensei was apparently a Mokuton user, a rare bloodline that hadn't been seen since the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

Filing the information away for later use, Naru glanced around again. The boy she had downed with her lightning technique was still down, if not shaking form lightning exposure. His skin was sickly pale and he didn't look to be breathing well.

The other teammate, the pale-skinned one, was battling with Haku. Belatedly, Naru wondered when the two had started to fight. Most likely in the time period where she was still down in the stupid Genjutsu.

Naru hummed and vanished in a swirl of wind, dropping down in front of Haku just as the mercenary prepared a barrage of ice needles to strike his teammates with. Shockingly, Naru deflected the pale skinned boy's blade and struck at his rib cage with her open palm. "Lightning Style, Scorching Fang!"

The boy's emotionless eyes widened a fraction before he dropped, a grunt leaving his lips as the currents traveled through his body.

Naru stepped back beside Haku, glancing to assess her comrade before she turned in Zabuza's direction.

"I believe Zabuza-San should be starting to tire. The Jonin was draining his chakra with those wooden constructs of his."

Haku froze up before she dashed toward her master, earning a soft and drawn out sigh from Naru. The blonde glanced down at the boy currently looking at his downed teammates with something akin to worry playing in his eyes.

"They are okay…for now. I poisoned both of them, though the boy only managed to grab hold of a small amount and it will most likely clear from his system quickly. The girl is not that lucky. Her lungs will shut down in two days, just enough time for you to back off and leave Gato to the bigger fish. Tell your Sensei that, and if he chooses correctly, I will give her the mercy that your Nin never gave the people of Iwa." Naru hissed the ending through clenched teeth. Her thoughts lingered on the death of Lady Risa and of her own Tou-San, the man who had given her another chance to live.

Turning on her heel, Naru vanished after Haku.

I~~~~I

Heat, burning and twisting fire worked its way up her body and across her limbs. Pain radiated from every little joint and soft gasps left her lips.

Kakashi wanted to hurt someone. He wanted to maim and tear into the Iwa Nin that had put Sashiko in her current position.

The Oreshizoku was breathing on her bed, her face flushed and hot, her body barely able to move under the stress of the poison working through her system.

Kakashi had only seen this type of poison once before when facing a woman from Iwa. She had killed off half his squad with the toxin. He had repaid her in kind.

Sashiko did not deserve to die on such a mission. She had a life ahead of her that shouldn't be cut short by the opposing side in this operation.

Kakashi gently replaced the rag on Sashi's head, his eyes roaming over her face. She looked far more like her father than her mother, though many compared her to her Grandmother instead.

"Taicho," Yamato called from the door. His eyes held a dormant fury over his student's condition, well-hidden to all but Kakashi.

A boy, one with red hair and green eyes, stood at his side. Doten-Shi Ken nodded at Kakashi as he walked inside.

The boy rested beside his friend, wincing as he felt his own stressed muscles contract alongside Sashi's. Ken had been dosed with a smaller and weaker quality version of the poison. HR had recovered far faster than his teammate would.

"The girl…the blonde haired one. She said that she had a cure for it. If we can get it…" Ken whispered as he brushed a finger along Sashi's cheek. He sighed and closed his eyes. Kakashi was surprised to see the eyes deepen in color when they opened up again. Ken gazed at his teammate either those eyes, the ones with soft green rings and slightly stretched pupils.

"She's fighting. Her soul is still bright and strong. She'll hold out for a while."

Ken informed the adults quietly.

His eyes returned to normal and he relaxed his shoulders.

Kakashi relaxed slightly as well. Ken's ability wasn't to be doubted. The kid had proven more than once that it was accurate.

"We need to find that girl then. If we have to force the serum from her lips…so be it." Yamato spoke, surprising his captain. Ken nodded as though he already knew what would happen.

"I'll stay here and guard Sashi. Take Sai and Menma. Sai knows more about the girl and Menma is better at capturing."

Kakashi hummed but nodded in acknowledgment. Sasuke would also be a good choice with his knowledge of traps, however, the boy was on guard duty with Sakura now, only he's watching the house and Sakura is babysitting the bridge builder.

Yamato and Kakashi left the room, closing the door behind them. Kakashi calmly activated the barrier seal that Menma had set up. He glanced at his subordinate and was surprised to find Yamato's attention elsewhere.

"Taicho, if that girl doesn't give us the cure or doesn't have one…" Yamato began.

Kakashi hummed and he gave Yamato a deadly eye smile.

"She will."

I~~~~I

Naruto cursed under her breath. She looked across the water where lingering traces of lightning-sparked over the surface before drowning inside of the conductor.

She should have added more chakra and thinned it out more. She knew this after so many years of doing pseudo-explosions to match Deidara's. After Rida's death, those hadn't been necessary, though she still worked through them in order to improve the formula. She wouldn't always have access to explosive clay, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Oh, sorry."

Someone called from behind her, turning Naruto's head in their direction.

She paused when she noticed the raven-haired male standing not very far off. His eyes, about as dark as his hair, roamed her figure. She was wearing her battle-kimono, though it could pass for a civilian one if her deadly grace wasn't added. Her weapons had been left at home, though she did have Senbon stuck in her bun, silver tendrils hanging over her eyes. The whisker marks on her cheeks were covered up with some makeup.

Haku had dolled her up at her request, giving her a far less-threatening look. She had wanted to appear that way to be underestimated, or in this case, dismissed.

"You are fine." She spoke gently, her voice taking on a docile tone while her body adjusted slightly. There was a bit of a civilian poise to it, while also maintaining the dignity of a fair lady.

The boy seemed to recognize it as he walked toward her.

"I don't mean to frighten you, however, I don't think you should be wandering around out here. The men in town aren't to be trusted." The boy informed her.

Now that he was a little closer, Naruto could make out his headband and the Uchiha crest on his shoulders. The boy was young, thirteen or so. Not many Uchiha made Chunin at thirteen, which meant this boy was a Genin. Based on his headband he was probably a rookie at that.

Well, at least Naruto knew that a Genin Team had been sent as backup. All the more information to give her Ni-San.

"Truly? Well, I just arrived here the other day. I was a bit annoyed with my entourage you see, so I left to get some fresh air. I'll just have to return." Naruto said. She smiled at him and closed her eyes.

His posture had relaxed when she opened her eyes again. Obviously the boy was still on guard, however, he seemed to have labeled her as a simple girl of status.

"I see. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Perhaps I could take you back to them, Miss?"

Sasuke trailed off in a way that asked for her name.

Naruto giggled gently while reaching up to cover her mouth. Her kimono's sleeve hung to cover her face until she lowered her hand to answer him. "Ru Hosha. I'm a traveler from Kusa. It truly is a pleasure to meet you, Uchiha-San."

Sasuke raised a brow at her origins. Additionally, he offered his arm to her, which she took gratefully. There was a soft pop somewhere behind them, no doubt a clone before they made their way through the forest. The walked away from Tazuna's home in a round-about manner, toward the town.

They stopped when someone came into view. Hatori donned in his customary cloak and sash, looked up and met their gaze. He seemed to recognize what was going on the moment he noticed her attire, including her missing headband, and the leaf headband Sasuke wore. Naruto was thankful that Hatori's headband was always tucked into the belt of his shorts, otherwise, they might have had a problem.

"Hosha-Chan, where have you been? Your brother was worried and Ikate was about to go looking for you." Hatori questioned. He was surprised when Hosha flushed comically and let out a mournful sigh.

"I'm sorry Hatori. I needed some space, was it. Uchiha-san here brought me home."

Hosha gestured to Sasuke as she walked toward Hatori. Hatori looked her over and gently courted her to his side, glancing over at Sasuke while his mismatched eyes shined.

"Thank you Uchiha-San. Hosha-Chan can be a handful."

Hatori offered the raven, watching carefully as Sasuke's shoulders stiffened and he looked them over carefully. The boy had deemed Hatori a threat.

"I couldn't leave her. Anyways, make sure she doesn't wander the forests alone. It's not safe." Sasuke tilted his head in parting, catching Hatori's eyes and then Naruto's. Naruto blinked at him and tilted her head. Her doe-like appearance seemed to cause something to stir in the boy.

"Be safe, Miss Ru."

Hosha blushed again and giggled into her sleeve, only her eyes were open this time and alight with something akin to curiosity.

"Call me Hosha, Uchiha-San."

Sasuke vanished rather than offer a reply.

I~~~~I

The moment that Sasuke vanished and Naruto had made sure he wasn't within hearing distance, she burst out laughing.

Hatori calmly watched the blonde as she wiped her eyes. Her movements were back to their normal grace and the innocence she had radiated earlier was swept away.

"Geeze, I didn't think that he would fall for it. Uchiha's are strange. Did you see his face when I told him to call me Hosha, or when I tilted my head? He looked like a Nara caught by his wife!"

Naruto grinned at Hatori. The blue haired man smiles back in turn as he looked amused over her plight.

"I see. How about you tell me everything on our way back? Deidara wants to see you anyways." Hatori told her.

Naruto nodded, hopping so she stood beside Hatori. Her grin never left and her arms shifted so that her head was resting back against them. Hatori, used to the habit, only followed along.

"Alright, so I was practicing the whole lightning 'n explosions thing, when out of nowhere-"

And so continued their walk back to the base, her words recalling the actions previous.

I~~~~I

That took too long. So I had writer's block for a bit and couldn't decide how to word this next part. In the end, I decided on this. I'd thank the person who PMed me earlier, however, because they reminded me I hadn't updated this story in a while. Welp, Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

 _Discussion-Pairings_

 _Okay, so I wasn't certain what to do for this. In the original story, Naruto was paired with Sasuke, and I do want to maybe integrate that, however, I'm not certain that will be the main pairing._

 _As usual, I'm gonna try and leave it to the readers. The Pairings will build but nothing concrete should happen until the end of the Chunin Exams, and even then I'm not going to have actual features of coupling until Shippuden. Along the way, I plan on hinting for shipping, but I'm not certain._

 _Anyways, please cast your votes or ideas. No one too old or too out there (For instance Yamato, because I'm not certain how to put that pairing together. I've always seen him as a mentor type and he won't be mentoring Naruto here.)_


	9. Iota

_Naruto nodded, hopping so she stood beside Hatori. Her grin never left and her arms shifted so that her head was resting back against them. Hatori, used to the habit, only followed along._

" _Alright, so I was practicing the whole lightning 'n explosions thing, when out of nowhere-"_

 _Therefore, continued their walk back to the base, her words recalling the actions previous._

I~~~~I

Sasuke found that he was rather fond of his new stalker, though he would die before admitting it aloud.

Despite his warnings, the young girl had returned to the clearing and took to watching him train.

Ru-San happened to be an odd girl, though she also happened to be a breath of fresh air. She seemed mystified with the ways of Shinobi like many civilian girls tended to be, though she also was less vocal and only ever asked questions once he was finished. She respected his privacy and his space, backing off if he even appeared offended for a moment.

The first time she returned he tried to take her back onto to find out that she was quite a bit stronger than normal women. Ru-San had stated that she had to learn some of the basics to protect herself and that she could spike her chakra, but she could do nothing else.

Sasuke was intrigued by the noblewoman. She was nothing like Sakura or even Ino. She had a delicacy to her that reminded him of his mother, while the childish light reminded him of his best friend.

If anything, she reminded him of Sashiko in a way. She was a patient and gentle person from what he had gathered over their time together.

Glancing over at the girl he took in her facial structure, her cheeks bright and highlighted by the sun shining down on her relaxing body. Her hair was pinned into the same bun and a halo of gold surrounded her as a cloud allowed the sun to shine unhindered upon her.

"Uchiha-San, you're staring at me again," Ru spoke up, her blue eyes lighting up as her long sleeve was lifted in order to shield her giggle from his sight.

Sasuke paused, his cheeks warming as he turned back to his exercise. The girl's laughter had a freedom to it that no other girl he had met did. She was delicate and very much a woman of noble birth, but she was also a spirited child.

"Did you want something, Ru-San?" Sasuke questioned the girl, earning a bemused glance and a slight flush from the girl. She looked abashed and rather like a child caught stealing from a cookie jar. Or Menma when he was caught snooping in his father's study.

"I was wondering about your blade…You see my guard Hatori uses one too and he talks to me when he trains. He likes to give me small lessons when he can, but I am barely an amateur. That does not stop my thoughts from wandering, though, and I wish to know about your weapon."

The girl looked to the side as he cheeks colored, her hand raising to block his sight again. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the girl's innocent expression. He rather enjoyed learning kenjutsu from Iraku when he could teach him, as well as his father and occasionally Sasuke would receive lessons from Sashiko. He could understand the fascination.

"Y-You don't have to show me U-Uchiha-San." The girl stuttered out after her request went unanswered.

For a moment Sasuke wished that she wasn't wearing makeup so he could see the full effect on her face, though that thought was pushed aside in favor of him walking toward the girl.

"Ru-San, I don't mind," Sasuke spoke, slowly raising is a blade to reside in his palms. He wasn't foolish enough to give it to the girl, but she seemed to understand his sentiments and looked down at it in awe. He small hands traced the surface, the white gloves she wore brushing the recently polished metals.

Sasuke had to wonder why the girl wore gloves. He knew that the dainty women of old noble families weren't supposed to use their hands very much, but he wasn't certain how far those traditions went.

Perhaps Ru was more complex than she had initially appeared.

I~~~~I

Naruto loved to play with the Uchiha.

By the fifth time of her coming to watch him train the boy had decided to amuse her civilian persona and had even guided her through a kata.

The boy was smooth for being so young and not trying. In fact, Naruto had only ever had Ikate move into her personal space as quickly as the Uchiha had.

She was amused with the boy.

He was a good ninja, that much was obvious.

Despite her showing that she was 'harmless' he still didn't relax his guard around her. He understood that even civilians could be dangerous and just because a noble was with him didn't mean that the enemy would try another time.

The two of them danced around one another and played an intricate came, Naruto's skill in politics shining through as she willed the Uchiha into listening to her every word.

By the sixth time Naruto had garnered a bemused look from the expressionless male, something she would forever remember. After days spent without any form of emotion, she ranked this as a high achievement in her books and proceded to try and cause more. She felt challenged and didn't want to back down from it.

He interested her in a way she wasn't sure how to explain. Every time she returned to her home and talked with Deidara over what she learned, she could feel the urge to return strengthen, if only to test just how much more she could get away with before the Uchiha realized just who she was.

Uchiha Sasuke was an enigma, a puzzle. She enjoyed discovering the new pieces and where they fit in the whole picture, slowly building up a profile of the Konoha Shinobi. She absolutely enjoyed confusing the boy and twisting his views with subtle words, slowly inching her way into her original behavior.

If she was able to, Naruto would dance around the Uchiha forever, or at the very least until he noticed.

She wondered how long it would take the Uchiha to notice, to question how a girl of nobility knew too much.

Naruto would enjoy the look of shocked surprised that would don his face when all became clear.

I~~~~I

Menma was worried. For the past few days when his best friend was on patrol, the Uchiha had returned with another chakra signature. This one was faint, hardly worthy of their attention, and yet…

The Uzumaki felt the signature was familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it, but each time that Sasuke returned looking happier or less stressed, Menma was bugged by that strange signature.

As a true Shinobi Menma confronted his Sensei, Kakashi, about it. From there he learned that Sasuke had run into a noblewoman from Kusa. The girl had been sitting in on his training sessions occasionally and seemed to be there in regards to Gato trying to partner with her father, using her as a bargaining chip even.

He continued to be mystified by the signature up until he couldn't handle it anymore.

Zabuza wasn't attacking, the townspeople were getting on his nerves, the bridge wasn't done, and there had been no action.

Menma needed something to happen before he went insane.

So, in a true Uzumaki fashion that would make his mother proud, Menma nabbed Sashi's less-than-reputable teammates and went to spy on his own teammate, leaving Sakura to guard the bridge builder.

I~~~~I

"I don't understand why you want to follow your teammate. You could have just asked him about this girl who makes your sensors go off."

Doten-Shi spoke up from behind Menma.

Sai hummed in agreement from beside his friend, the two boys huddled together on a branch to the side of Menma's own hiding spot. A seal placed on the tree's trunk hid their chakra from any outside sensors, leaving them in a pocket of freedom. They could shout, scream, use chakra, almost anything really, and they wouldn't be felt.

Both Kushina and Menma had worked hard to make this seal function correctly, and seeing their work pay off helped Menma ignore the annoyance in Ken's tone.

"Look, I know I can but I have a feeling. You know that stuff happens when we have those, it's our Uzumaki Luck." Menma informed the older male, motioning for them to be quiet, quite unnecessarily with the seal mind you, as Sasuke dropped down.

The boy was looking for any enemy nin, and once he felt none, he set to work training. He was running through a series of katas performed with his chakra channeling through his blade.

Doten-Shi cast a glance to Sai, the two of them sharing silent grievance over one of their least-liked Genin. Menma paid them no mind, instead glancing around for any sign of Sasuke's new 'friend'. His gut stirred and something threatened to imbalance him and send him to the ground as he felt her signature.

Her chakra was like the first dive into the water, only for fire to explode behind you. Menma knew it well sadly enough, considering who his sensei was.

She was both refreshing and explosive, her expansive reserves trapped beneath tight bandages like a wound. She played the role of a helpless civilian well, but against a sensor, even one in training such as Menma, she couldn't hide.

"I think that this girl is a ninja disguised a civilian." Menma informed his partners, shifting to get ready to launch down from his perch while the two behind him looked at one another again.

They contemplated their options, choosing the believe Menma's words.

As they did a form stepped out from the trees. She was near silent in her approach, though her appearance spoke volumes. The girl's vibrant hair caught the three Shinobi's attention instantly, her kimono drawing attention seconds later. They all looked at her together as she greeted Sasuke.

"Hello Uchiha-San." She spoke softly, though her voice carried over the silent clearing.

Behind Menma Sai and Doten-Shi tensed, a hiss leaving Ken's lips. The two of them were looking at the girl in recognition, a dark emotion trailing through their eyes. Menma could feel the emotions rolling off of their chakra like the stench of rotting fruit. They both stiffened and looked ready to tear into the newly arrived girl.

"That sneaky little _bitch_ ," Ken growled out.

His eyes had darkened as he narrowed them on the girl standing before Sasuke.

Menma knew exactly who the mystery blonde was now. Ken only ever used foul language when referring to people who had been placed on his 'shit list'.

As far as Menma was aware, the only blonde-haired blue-eyed teenager on the list was the Iwagakure Kunoichi who had left Sashiko fending for her life.

The girl's telling bright blue eyes were gazing at the Uchiha in earnest, her hands held respectfully in the sleeves of her kimono top.

"Good morning Ru-San," Sasuke told the girl not unkindly, his gaze fixated ahead as he worked on his moves.

The girl smiled and walked toward a boulder nearby, sitting down on it with familiarity as she observed the Konoha-Nin in silence.

"Menma, go grab Yamato Taicho or Kakashi Taicho. Now."

Ken spoke up, his tone deepening into a commanding timbre. Behind him, Sai straightened and grabbed a brush along with a scroll.

The two males had darkness in their gazes. The fond exasperation that had resided seconds earlier was washed in an uncaring manner. They were both ready to attack and Menma did not want to be in the middle of the two vengeful Shinobi when they got their hands on the girl who had poisoned his Onee-Chan.

"Hai."

He whispered and vanished into the forest, rushing back to Tazuna's home.

I~~~~I

Naruto's body tensed the moment she felt the spike of chakra in the direction of Tazuna's residence.

"Well, that's lovely." She spoke aloud, drawing the Uchiha's attention to her just as a tiger lept at her from the shrubbery.

The boy's eyes widened and he started to reach for her.

Aw, how cute, he wanted to save her. She was quite happy that she had fooled the boy so well but decided that if his teammates knew she might as well reveal herself. Her left eye slipped shut for a brief moment, the wink sent to the Uchiha just as the Tiger's jaws clasped around her neck and she burst into a puff of smoke.

"Oh, goody. I was getting a bit bored with the current predicament. Do you know how hard it is to play the damsel? Quite difficult, let me tell you-"

Naruto started to speak as she appeared on the nearby surface of the water. She stood perfectly without any sign of trouble, her chakra still kept unbearably low.

A blade silenced her, her feet shifting as she sidestepped the blow.

A tsk left her lips and Naruto grasped one of the Senbon in her hair, tossing it at the red-headed boy trying to cut through her shoulder.

She ducked another ink-tiger, twisting around to deliver a sharp kick to the body of the beast. Ink fell around her in black globs. She huffed and forced her chakra to drop again, causing her to plummet into the cold sea-water as the redhead's blade passed overhead.

She twisted in the water and flashed through hand signs, drawing upon her expertise with Ikate and Hatori.

The water rose upward and she flew from the water along with a spiraling typhoon. Her chakra spread outward without the binds wrapped tightly around it.

She looked down at the two Genin both standing in front of her previous toy, her fingers clenching at the back of her water dragon.

"You…" The redhead snarled at her, his eyes filling with something close to hatred.

Naruto tilted her head quizzically at the boy, inwardly hoping that Hatori and Ikate got the damn memo when her chakra flared.

"Are you still angry about me poisoning your teammate? I mean, all's fair in love a war hun, nothing personal….kinda." She tilted her head as though considering something important.

As she did so her eyes flitted to the shocked Uchiha now raising his blade against her.

"Sorry about the acting Uchiha, I really did like our sessions. It's too bad I can't stay."

Naruto then allowed her chakra to force the dragon forward, flipping back to land on the water again. This time she channeled her lightning chakra, drawing upon the days prior when she had nearly been caught by Sasuke performing the exact exercise.

"Lightning Style, Lightning Field!" She shouted, slamming her glove hands onto the water's surface. As she did so the water around her lit with blue light, the crackling and shocking force shooting out over the water in an expansive burst.

Unlike the failed attempt nearly a week ago the burst grew with the conductor below it, causing event he Uchiha to back up while his comrades were forced to jump back beside him. The lightning-sparked and sizzled over the water, it's nature now taking over as Naruto withdrew her chakra from the element.

She turned sharply, pushing chakra to her feet in order to shoot toward Gato's base and hopefully Hatori and Ikate.

Her body rocketed into the air, her fingers finding more Senbon hidden on her person while she recalled the knives up the skirt of her kimono. She could fend off the three easily until her reinforcements arrived, and then she would just have to deal with Deidara's annoyance over her actions and her scolding, as well as being grounded to Gato's compound till Zabuza attacked.

She could live with that. It would only be for a few days either way.

"Do think you'll escape."

Someone spoke, shivers running down her spine as she suddenly felt someone above her. Naruto twisted sharply in an effort to stab the newcomer, only to gasp in pain and shock when a blow to her ribs sent her to the ground.

She slammed into the earth with unyielding force, the air knocked from her lungs. She gasped and tried to focus properly and get up.

She barely rolled to the side in time to avoid a devastating kick that would have severed her head from her shoulders.

Her feet landed in a crouch several feet away. She slipped a hand down and grasped the handle of her hidden blades, her impassive gaze meeting that of her attacker.

The man was obviously a Jonin, one of a high caliber even. He had white hair and wore his headband in a slanted formation. His stance was hardly lazy but Naruto knew right away that he could take her down without working up a sweat.

"Hatake Kakashi." She whispered under her breath in both awe and hatred.

This was the man that had killed Lady Rida, the man that had ended Deidara's mother.

Naruto knew she didn't stand a chance against the A, bordering S-Rank shinobi before her.

She only had one option really.

"Ni-San is going to kill me." She muttered as the man launched at her, retribution clear.

Her hand slammed into the ground and she willed her chakra forth, calling on all of those times when she had to copy Deidara's explosions perfectly with her own methods, before Rida's sacrifice.

The two natures came together just like they had any other time, compounding and mixing in a perfect imbalance that started the trees above them on fire and burned away the moisture in the air.

Her eyes shut tightly as Kakashi's arm descended on her head, the fire and lightning chakra exploding in a brilliant light of blue and gold.

She barely felt the heat that came afterward.

I~~~~I

Deidara's first telling sign that something was most definitely wrong was the fact that Hosha's chakra had just flared despite the fact she was playing the weak Noble for Uchiha brat.

His second was the explosion that lit up the sky in golden light specked with blue, his imuto's trademark Jutsu that she only ever used in serious battles.

Those Jutsu were not used against anything short of a Jonin when it came to Naruto in combat. She would never waste chakra on any small fry, and that meant that one of the sensei had found her and was now engaging her in a fight that forced her to use her best attacks.

"Ikate, go ahead now!" Deidara shouted to his teammate as he rushed beside him.

Between the two of them, Ikate was faster, something that came in handy in dire situations such as the one they found themselves in.

The nin didn't have to be told twice, his body blurring out of sight.

At Deidara's other side, one of his imuto's teammates, Hesei, blurred from view as well.

"At times like these, I wish I had taken Tou-San's lessons with the Shuinshin to heart," Deidara muttered in annoyance, pushing chakra into his limbs to go faster.

He pushed into an open clearing, dropping down in a battle-ready stance.

As he did, he took in the area. The water was sparkling in place, the beach area he was on slightly singed with a destroyed boulder off to the side.

Black spots of what smelt and looked like ink littered the area and parts colored the water, part of the beach drenched and pushed away from the shoreline by an unseen force.

Naruto's water dragon Jutsu had a similar effect.

Turning sharply Deidara took in the two still bodies of both Ikate and Hesei, both of them standing across the water in front of another clearing. Leaping over the sizzling water, Deidara flipped and landed steadily behind his subordinates. As he did, the smell of burnt flesh made its way into his nose.

He looked at the clearing before them, or at least what appeared to be a clearing.

The earth was smoking, a large crater formed from what Deidara knew to be an explosion. The earth around the crater was shattered and dotted with spider web fractures that went on quite a ways. In the middle of the crater, there was burnt blood, quite a bit of fact, and the clear signs of a struggle.

Deidara's heart caught in his throat at the sight, his voice held captive by his emotions. He was looking at the crater for clues, for any sign his Imuto had just decided to run away after dealing with her enemies.

One giant flaw with that thought was the fact that there weren't any bodies. Even with their tendency toward explosions, with what looked to be four people all facing off against Naruto at the same time…There would have been bodies.

Hesei stepped forward as though testing his own balance, his eyes narrowing as he continued to take steps until he was dropping down into the crater. He slid carefully to the large puddle of burning blood, his posture rigid.

Ikate stepped forward, no doubt to call the boy back, only to be silenced when he reached down and dragged a weapon from the dirt. The kunai was well crafted and sported Naruto's personal symbol, a swirl, on the base of the blade.

Hesei looked up at them, holding it for them to see.

Naruto had fought at least four opponents, most likely the Konoha Nin, and lost. She had tried, using even her copy-cat explosive Jutsu to try and win, but in the end, she did not prevail.

"The blood is most likely hers, considering the kunai in almost clean and there would be more had she landed a hit since she only had Jutsu as other weapons," Hesei spoke up, his voice hardly reassuring and rather grating.

Deidara tried to close his eyes, to block out the white noise plaguing his senses.

His Imuto wasn't dead, her body wasn't here and she had wounded one of their men. She would be okay so long as she proved useful. His little sister was okay, for now.

"Burn the evidence. Ikate, start searching the perimeter, Hesei will join when he finishes. I'm going to see what Hatori knows." Deidara ordered quickly, sending the two Genin into a flurry of movement that left him alone with his thoughts.

Pushing aside his feelings and the worrying ache pressing out him in regards to his little sister, Deidara launched back where he came from.

He would _not_ let Naruto be taken from him by Konoha as well. He'd die a thousand times over before he allowed her to suffer a moment longer than necessary.

I~~~~I

Naruto's head was pounding. Her body ached and she could feel the blood crusting over where the damned red headed Konoha-Nin had stabbed her.

Her head was heavy, her eyes even more so. She couldn't feel her chakra and her limbs were bound with rope and chains to a cold surface. She couldn't even sense her surroundings.

Cold water splashed over her form and she forced her body not to jerk. The water stung at her skin, lighting her healing wound on fire.

Her eyes opened slowly to the dimly lit room of her prison, his gaze meeting the hard one of her captor.

Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Copy Nin, a student of the Yondaime and son of the White Fang. Executioner of Lady Rida and many more of the Tsuchikage's loyal Shinobi.

Beside him stood the red-headed boy, his green eyes glowing unnervingly in the dim surroundings. The boy had his fingers raised into seals, the sign a tell-tale water symbol.

So, that was how they were going to play it? Naruto wondered why they hadn't just killed her over the trouble she caused them. After all, that teammate of theirs was no doubt dead by now, so they had no use for her. If they planned to get information on Gato's plans from her, they were going after the wrong Iwa Nin.

Either way, she was alive and she wouldn't be speaking to either of them about anything of importance.

"So, this can go multiple ways _Miss Ru,_ you can either speak the truth and give us what we need, or…well I'm sure you know." Hatake started out, his voice dull and lazy-like.

Naruto stared unblinkingly at the man, cataloging his actions.

'Step one, wake the prisoner and let them know right away they are alone. Next, inform them what you want in the barest terms possible, then let their minds wander to all the ways they could be hurt if they mess up. The imagination of a captive is far scarier to the captive than the words of their captor.' She calmly thought, breathing calmly all the while.

She had lived with Roshi of the Lava Style, she was hardly afraid of these elementary tactics. That meant that they would escalate, but after being threatened by Roshi's presence she was hardly scared of anything less than his full fury.

Sadly for both of the Shinobi standing in front of her, they neither commanded the presence nor the hatred necessary to force her into breaking. They were only wasting their time.

Moreover, she didn't have to let them know those details, so she could just keep her mouth shut and her gaze blank.

"What is the poison compound that you used against Sashiko?" Hatake asked first.

Naruto didn't utter a single word, the room silent and daunting.

Hatake turned to the redhead.

"Ken." The man spoke in a tone that dripped with boredom.

The boy flashed through hand signs, some that Naruto easily recognized. She kept her eyes open despite knowing it would be harder to ignore the coming pain with them open, staring in defiance at Hatake Kakashi as lightning shot up the water at her feet and worked its way through her body.

Her shoulders rolled with the contractions that started to wrack her body, her body buzzing while her head continued to pound. Not a sound left her lips and her eyes remained trained on the stoic figures of her captors.

The lightning died down and she kept her body tensed, slowly releasing the tension as the shocks started to die and she was left with only the occasional twitch. Blackness had started to crawl along the edges of Naruto's vision, though she refused to cut the gaze between her and Hatake.

Her hair fell down in messed wet spikes over her face, the bangs shadowing her eyes while the back itched at her neck.

'Next, you give them a taste of what will happen, making sure to not express or give anything away during the ordeal. Learn how they react to pain and how quickly they are going to break.' Naruto inwardly recited the memory, acknowledging Roshi's teachings.

"What poison compound was used against Sashiko?" Hatake questioned again.

Once more Naruto did not answer, and again she was treated to the shock treatment.

This continued, the count growing too high for Naruto to process. The whole time, even when her vision was turning completely black and her ears were ringing while her limbs felt numb, Naruto refused to look away from Hatake's lone grey eye.

By the third time, Hatake looked a little unnerved at her resilience, staring at her with a passive form a shock that would have been well hidden had Naruto not kept most of her wits about her.

Each time the man spoke she focused on something entirely irrelevant. She only made a sound by the last two shocks, simple grunts displaying her displeasure at being repeatedly burned inside and out. The water was sizzling and her hair stood slightly on end, the stands poking out in blonde spikes.

Her skin was sizzling, the lightning leaving scrawling marks in its wake.

By the tenth time, Hatake seemed to have had enough. He looked at her with a sharp gaze and then waved the Genin from the room.

Once Ken had left, Hatake crouched down so he was eye-level with Naruto's stubborn stare.

"You may think you can hold out forever…but it'll only get worse from here. Now, I'll give you another chance; what poison did you use?"

Hatake's voice descended into a mocking whisper that proceeded to grate on Naruto's nerves.

The blonde raised her hair, continuing her staring contest even as her lips twisted into both a snarky and ad smile.

"Go hug a tree." She whispered back, her voice coarse over the repeated shocking over her body.

Hatake sighed and within a moment the chair she had been chained to hit the ground. Naruto managed to keep her head from hitting the floor, laying it back carefully after avoiding striking the concrete below with her skull. Hatake observed calmly the whole while, as though he hadn't just kicked her chair over and watched her fall.

The man turned, walking out of the dim room without a word.

Sighing to herself, Naruto finally closed her eyes and allowed her body to shiver, her limbs still numb. Her head still hurt and she was seeing black with red, but right now she hardly cared.

Instead, she slipped into a gentle slumber unbefitting a teenager recently subjected to hours-worth of shocking and questions.

I~~~~I

"She's quite good," Yamato spoke up, earning a glance from Kakashi as the man cleaned his hands.

He couldn't get the image of the girl's face from his mind, her blank blue eyes haunting his thoughts. Her eyes reminded him of Kushina, of an unwavering brilliance that could easily lead to death. Her case was not helped by the fact that she had hardly made a sound when Ken shocked her, despite the fact that most Jonin could hardly stand five of those, never mind one right after the other.

The Iwa Kunoichi scared him slightly. She had been uncharacteristically okay with his methods and had seemed used to his tactics. He didn't know what Iwa decided to teach their Genin these days, but for someone that young to be so familiar with torture…It wasn't right.

She was a Kunoichi, a powerful and manipulative one that knew how to act and when.

"I'll try again in half an hour. Let her rest it off for a bit, think she's okay for now." Kakashi told his friend.

Yamato paused as he stared at Kakashi, reading his expression carefully before looking through the make-shift interrogation room they had set up in Tazuna's tool shed in the forest.

"Are you sure that's smart? You don't want to break her Taichou." Yamato spoke up.

Kakashi paused, opening his mouth to retort. As he did so, he looked back at the girl.

A seal had been set up to allow them to see her, though she couldn't see them.

She was sleeping in the chair, her position no doubt uncomfortable especially with her injured arm and the lightning scars forming across her skin.

Even if the girl somehow made it out alive, Kakashi doubted she'd look the same ever again. Few left sessions like that without noticeable marks and Ken hadn't been holding back.

Closing his eye, Kakashi allowed the stress of his everyday life to slip over his shoulders.

"I'll bring Sasuke to talk with her. She seemed to respond to him when she was watching him train…perhaps she will now." Kakashi offered, earning a grimace from his friend.

"Alright," Yamato spoke, turning to look at the sleeping girl.

"She kinda looks like Yondaime-Sama." Yamato murmured under his breath. If it weren't for Kakashi's enhanced hearing he might not have heard the man's comment.

Turning to the girl again, Kakashi stiffened. The girl indeed looked like his sensei, especially with her hair sticking up in random spikes from the static around her.

Eyes like Kushina, the face of his sensei. She was certainly an enigma.

No matter, she was the enemy, a Kunoichi of Iwagakure and a threat to the lives of his students and his precious people. She could not be allowed to harm anyone else.

I~~~~I

 **Done. That was harder to write than I had predicted. Please let me know how I did, and if the scene was too graphic for your guy's tastes. If it was I'll modify it, but considering what's going on torture seemed to slide right in. Naruto will be drilled and perhaps she will give up the key to Sashiko living, but one doesn't know. As for her team, Deidara is about to raise hell on the Konoha Nins' heads. Regarding the mess with Gato…we'll see how that goes.**

 **Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I enjoy looking at your comments!**

 **Discussion-** Pairings

So far, for the pairings we have-

 **Sasuke x Naruto**

 **Ikate X Naruto**

You can continue to add more.


	10. Kappa

Naruto woke to the smell of food and the sound of voices.

Her eyes opened and her limbs tensed as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings.

Memories rushed forward and she felt limp against the chair below her, noting that her seat was still on the ground and that she had a slight kink in her neck. The room smelt of stale mold, though a hint of warm meat flooded through the partially cracked door.

Another tactic. Great. She sighed heavily and tried not to think about the food, instead focusing on how her brother was bound to murder her once she was free. Her body was well rested and she guessed it had been only a handful of hours since she had been captured. Going from that and the smell of food, it was either early morning or they had cooked just for her.

The voices outside the door ground to a halt. Naruto's gaze settled on the door while she surveyed her surroundings. There was still water on the floor and the light overhead was just as dim. The walls were wooden and space was small, most likely two meters squared, the door settled further into the walls. It was most likely flush with the outside, which meant that the building was multi-roomed or equipped with a smaller area.

Naruto hummed under her breath and tried to ignore the tingling sensation that went down her spine. Her abused skin was sensitive to the slightest of touches with the ice-cold floor, which lead Naruto to withhold a gasp as she arched her head slightly to look at the walls again.

The walls had bits of blood on them and there were a couple dents around the same height on one of them. Further inspection of the floor below led Naruto to believe a table had been left in the space at one time, one used to gut something. Considering that the villagers of Nami didn't exactly see being a shinobi as a hobby, this small area was most likely a fishing hut.

Closing her eyes Naruto tried to think of the area she had surveyed with Hatori and her teammates. She remembered several small huts, though most were near the water. She listened carefully, trying to hear past the silence.

Nothing could be heard, meaning she wasn't at one of the huts on the beach. She must be at one of the ones in the forest near the lake then, one used to store fish. The smell was faded, though when she searched she could still smell it, which meant that the hut wasn't as used as the others.

Going through the remaining options she narrowed her location to five spots, each one as likely as the others. They also were fairly secluded, so Naruto pushed one of Gato's or even her own team finding her by chance.

She was really in for it when the mission was all said and done. Forget how badly her brother would maim her, the Tsuchikage would never let her out of the village again if he heard she was kidnapped. He had dealt with enough threats to her safety to deal with this one as well.

Cursing her ineptitude inwardly, Naruto ran through her options.

She could hold off and hope someone came to save her. Yeah, not happening.

She could also struggle and hope to escape, but if she was caught…not that either then.

That meant she had only one other option. Play along and give them enough to keep her talking, but not enough to make her useless. Lull them into a false sense of security before attacking with all she had.

The plan wasn't solid, but it was the best she had. She nodded within her mindscape and pulled out in time to witness Hatake walk in with his Uchiha student.

The Uchiha gazed at her with something akin to confusion, though the emotion was quickly replaced by his blank façade.

That was just great, they had to bring in the emotionless boy who she had somewhat befriended.

Cursing Hatake to the highest of heavens and even that of the Ramen gods, Naruto leveled them both with her blank stare and prepared to deal with both of their questions.

To the kunoichi's honest surprise, the Uchiha walked over and lifted her chair. He was within the distance for her to attack and potentially cause damage, but Naruto wasn't thinking clearly enough to do so. Instead, she gazed at the boy in bewilderment. Did he hope to good-shinobi-bad-shinobi her? She wasn't an idiot and such an amateur technique wouldn't work on her.

Hatake sighed and looked at his student. The boy offered nothing, his eyes slipping to hers silently as though he was looking for something important.

"Staring is rude," Naruto spoke, unable to help herself from doing so with the boy's face unbearably close. She valued her personal space and hated when people decided to push such things as basic human decency aside.

The Uchiha's lip twitched slightly as he recognized the snarky part of her character, no doubt comparing her to the fake persona she had crafted just to lull him into a false sense of security.

"So is lying to someone." The Uchiha told her, earning an unimpressed stare from the Iwa Kunoichi.

"I think kidnapping tops that." Naruto countered.

The Uchiha gave her a look that spoke volumes, despite only the barest fractions of his face changing from earlier.

"And poisoning someone isn't?"

A snort slipped free and Naruto tilted her head to the side, her eyes shining with the light overhead in what she made seem like amusement. "I never said I wasn't."

Their banter died down as the boy took in her words.

He looked read to comment again when his Sensei spoke to him. "Will you tell us what the poison is?"

The question earned a sigh from Naruto as she shifted her gaze back and forth between the Uchiha and Hatake.

She wondered how beneficial a little wordplay would be. Perhaps she could indulge the leaf Nin some.

"Ah, ah, ah, not too forward so soon, we haven't gotten to the main discussion. It makes my blood boil when people cut through my conversations like they deserve all of the attention." Naruto told the Jonin, shifting her eyes to the man. She leveled her eyes and her lips twisted into a less than a kind smile.

"Doesn't it just _tear you apart_ , people's disrespect that is…makes you feel kind of _helpless_ sometimes."

She carefully formulated her words and watched as the light in both Hatake's eye and that of his student's eyes died.

"I could _die a million times over_ with the _pain it causes_. Funny how arrogance tends to bite one in the ass later on, neh, Hatake-San? Just like past transgressions. I meant, one simple slip, a single nick with a blade or a twist of a knife in one's gut and you might end up _losing every little thing you care for."_

Naruto ended with a jeering grin that left little to the imagination. Lady Rida had died because of a kunai to her gut. She bled out like a pig lead to the slaughter, her teammates killed mercilessly while she pushed forward with the mission.

Naruto would never forgive Hatake Kakashi for taking Deidara's mother from him, for causing the dark spark within her Tou-San's eyes that tortured him every night when he slept without his wife at his side. She could never forgive the man for destroying the family she had been welcomed into so eagerly, for ruining the image she had crafted of her Tou-San and her Kaa-San with her brother.

She hated him without an ounce of remorse, and she wasn't afraid to show him.

"You know of the poison, as much as you refuse to admit it. You know of that your comrade doesn't have long…At least I gave you time to say goodbye." Naruto commented coldly, her unnervingly blank stare back. She met Hatake's lone eye and ignored the presence beside her.

"Sasuke, leave." Hatake suddenly ordered.

Naruto smirked at him.

"Going to use your Sharingan on me? Or will you stab me in my stomach and watch me bleed out like you did to Lady Rida?"

Naruto offered, earning a sharp look from both Nin.

She leaned against the chair and breathed out calmly as the Uchiha slipped from the room.

The moment that he did, Hatake pulled his headband up to expose his Sharingan. Predictably, the man met her gaze, though his next action caused her heart to pound.

The man reached over her and grabbed the necklace she had around her next, quietly tugging it from its spot. The silver glinted in his hands, shining under the dim light while the charm twisted about. The explosion imprinted on the medal caught Naruto's eyes and she tried not to growl at the man.

He was playing dirty, though she supposed that had been her fault in the first place.

"How about I show you how she died…Bleeding slowly onto the earth where her men had fallen with her." Hatake whispered against her skin, the tomo in his Sharingan deathly still.

Naruto let loose a laugh and stared defiantly at him.

"Try me."

I~~~~I

Kakashi paused as he looked at the comatose girl in front of him. Her body shook every so often, though she never shed a tear. She was made of harder stuff than that, after all.

Gazing down at the necklace he had pilfered from the child, Kakashi looked over the name inscribed on the back.

"Deidara…The Iwatoshi Clan Head of Iwagakure. For you to have this necklace must make you either a lover…or family."

Kakashi paused and reached toward the girl's top. He pushed the shoulder part down slightly, his eyes narrowing on the markings she had hidden beneath her clothing.

From experience in the Third Shinobi War, Kakashi recalled that the tattoo of Iwa's Bomb Squad looked a lot like their namesake did in the middle of battle.

So, the Kunoichi that Sashiko's teammates had helped him subdue was the little sister of Iwatoshi Deidara, Iwatoshi Hosha. Not much was known about the girl other than the fact she worked with her brother's team and was often seen guarding the Tsuchikage on his outings. She was famed for her custom explosions, one that had nearly taken out Kakashi earlier if he wasn't mistaken.

The girl could be the key to ending the missions peacefully.

Raising his hand, Kakashi pulled his headband back over his Sharingan. Quietly he tucked the chain into his pocket and headed toward the door.

As the door slipped shut behind him, Kakashi failed to notice his prisoner's eyes opening.

Cerulean bleed crimson, slit pupils catching the Jonin's retreat from the damp "cell".

A single twitch of the hands and gloves fell from two primed wrists to the floor, two hands gripping tightly to the rope binding the young Kunoichi.

I~~~~I

Ikate scanned his targets, crouched and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. He rested in the cove of a large tree near the site of the bridge being built. For the past day, he had observed the Konoha Nin watching the Bridge Builder, trying to find any sign of Naruto while also collecting information for Deidara.

So far, Ikate had learned that the pink haired female on the young redhead's team wasn't competent, Tazuna surprisingly had balls, and Gato had really screwed this country over. If there was ever a time that Ikate did not like one of their clients, now would have to be it. Gato was a despicable man that Ikate wanted to personally introduce to his clawed bracers. As the official protector of Hosha's beauty and magnificence, he was also the one that had nearly injured the men who had catcalled his Hosha throughout the trip. Gato's quips at the Kunoichi hardly helped the man's case.

The Iwa Nin wished desperately for some Sake and a nice run to clear his head. Once the whole mission was over, Ikate would have to go out for drinks with Kurotsuchi and his cousins again.

During his lamenting, the green haired Genin noticed a shift in his targets. On the bridge, the two Genin observing the Bridge Builder had been joined by a Jonin. The Jonin was slouched over slightly, his brilliant silver hair flaring like a beacon. The man dressed in the custom uniform of most Konoha Jonin was talking rather loudly to his two students. He said something about the two switching with two other males before commenting on how good of a job they were doing.

As he did so, Ikate took notice of how the man's body subtly shifted in his direction.

Cursing lowly, Ikate took hold of his chakra and vanished in a burst, hitting the ground of the bank opposing the small town just as a leg slammed into the bark of the tree he had just been on.

The Jonin, or rather his copy since the original was still amusing his Genin, turned sharply to Ikate a vanished.

Taking a deep breath Ikate molded his chakra once more, remembering all those times he had to dodge Hatori's katana, all the nights he spent working with Kurotsuchi until he was lying on the ground exhausted. He had always been the fastest on his team. Next, to the tank Deidara and the easy-going backup Hatori, Ikate had marked himself as the one to hit-and-run, the one to deal out as much damage as he could in the smallest amount of time. Hatori may be able to kill a man without a sound and Deidara could turn an entire town to ash, but Ikate could meet your eyes from several yards away and kick you in the face all in the span of a few seconds.

Ikate dropped into a crouch and brought his arms above his head to block another kick, switching gears fast enough to block a fist to the face. Quickly executed blows struck at his arms as Ikate blocked several strikes. His chakra echoed across his limbs, his skin shimmering as it hardened into rock.

The Jonin's fist slammed into Ikate's chest, only know force was exerted on the now-solid skin.

A single eye narrowed on Ikate's skin just before the Genin twisted around an aimed a landed a roundhouse kick on the Jonin's side. Tumbling with the blow, the silver-haired shinobi moved further from Ikate and met the boy's gaze head-on.

The Jonin opened his mouth to speak behind his black mask. He looked strangely…calm.

Had the encounter been set in different terms, Ikate might have joked. Had he not been annoyed with his client or their opponents, Ikate might have participated in idle chatter.

Instead, Ikate was pissed off. Instead…These stupid Konoha Bastards had taken Hosha and done kami-know-what to the Kunoichi.

Taking a deep breath Ikate funneled his chakra into his limbs and spread out the rock chakra around his skin. Working with extra weight was nothing new to the boy. He had learned how to deal with a couple more pounds long ago.

Ikate dropped his hands and channeled chakra to the bracers he had strapped to his arms that morning, ignoring the sharp sound of steal-on-steal before swiping at his opponent's face. The Jonin teetered back to avoid the sharp blades, the claws catching several of the man's strands of hair.

Ikate's mission was to distance the man and force the Jonin to retreat so he could head back to Deidara. He had only to nick the man once and then he could flee.

The Jonin withdrew a kunai, raising it in time to meet a swipe of Ikate's claws, the Genin's eyes darkening as they met the Jonin's. The two stood in silence for a moment, before the Jonin decided to try and speak again.

"Not willing to hear about your friend? I guess Iwa Shinobi truly are heartless." The Jonin commented, earning a sharp breath from Ikate before the Genin was lunging at his opponent's throat.

Red met green and the two traded multiple blows while trying not to get nicked by their opponent.

"Perhaps you just wanted to get rid of her…" The Jonin prattled on; consequently, Ikate swung upward with the intention to remove the Jonin's head from his shoulders.

More silver hair fell to the beach as the Jonin dodged the strike. He needlessly commented while aiming a blow at Ikate's collarbone. "-that could easily explain her resistance to Lightning Jutsu."

Ikate's vision tried to burn red. He channeled his anger into incentive and managed to lunge and rake his claws across the Jonin's jacket. Unfortunately, the man burst into smoke and Ikate had to dive to the side to avoid a volley of shuriken.

The Jonin dropped down in front of Ikate, his lone eye twinkling sadistically as he commented with, "You must have used them on her a lot."

Ikate froze in place, raising his bracers in front of his face while he looked over the Jonin.

Without the hum of battle or the quick movements, Ikate was able to easily identify the Jonin as Hatake Kakashi, or Kakashi of the Sharingan. The man was a legend throughout the Elemental Nations, especially in Iwa. Ikate still remembered the news of Hatake Kakashi's triumph at the Kannabi Bridge during the Third Shinobi World War alongside his teammates and Namikaze Minato.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Ikate finally bit out after a few minutes of awkward silence. The tension was too thick to cut with even Hatori's beloved katana, and yet the next words Hatake spoke shattered it.

"Of course you do. Or do you want me to believe that the little sister of Iwatoshi Deidara really isn't being held as my prisoner?" Hatake drawled, leaning back in a relaxed pose despite the kunai still held in his grasp.

Ikate wavered, his eyes darkening as he inwardly cursed. Knowing just who they had in custody did not bode well for Hosha, no matter the case. Even so, Ikate would deny Hosha's status without a thought if it posed even a small chance for her to get out of this encounter in one piece.

"Oh yes, that second-rate Kunoichi is totally Iwatoshi Hosha. Do you really think that someone from the Bomber Clan of Iwagakure would ever get caught by a load of tree-huggers?" Ikate snarled.

"Perhaps," Hatake chuckled, and with a flourishing and mocking movement, withdrew a familiar chain from his pocket.

Ikate's breath died in his throat and he struggled not to falter his stance at the sight of Hosha's chain. The decorative explosion glinted in the morning light, twisting and twirling about in the air below Hatake's fingers.

Hosha would never have allowed someone to take her necklace without a fight. Hell, the girl rarely slept without the piece. For Hatake to have her necklace meant the kunoichi was either dead or near dead.

"What do you want." Ikate bit out. His hands dropped to his sides as the claws on the bracers withdrew, his stance one of a forlorn messenger.

Deidara was going to be pissed.

More importantly, heads were going to roll.

I~~~~I

Huh, that was…neat. Next chapter may or may not wrap this part of the series up. If it does it'll be longer, but if not, expect several short chapters to come. Thank you for reading!

 **Pairings:**

Sasuke-8

Ikate-3

Hatori-1

Itachi-1


	11. Lambda

She had only one chance; that much she knew. One mistake and she'd be back where she had been; only this time she doubted she'd survive what they threw her way.

Naruto had one shot at escaping her captors, and that meant she had to be patient.

Patience was something Naruto learned to have a long time ago. Back before she had met Roshi she had jumped into everything and tried to use her brawn over her brains in order to make it out of the messes she often found herself in. Only her luck kept her from dying a lot of the time, or so her brother and the Tsuchikage claimed.

Roshi had practically beaten the thought into her thick skull. She spent hours locked in dark rooms, days without food and months without human contact. Naruto had learned not only how to cope, wait, and _think_ , but also how to _survive_ from Roshi.

Now was the time to wait and think, now was the time to think about survival above all else. She'd have time to break down later, to rest and to scream and cry.

Thinking back to the rush of lightning in her veins, to the shocks that left her breathless and seeing spots, Naruto willed the door before her to open. She needed to perfect circumstances, and then she'd be gone.

Lightning scars along her wrists and legs were already fading. The white marks had grown lighter and lighter as time went on. Neither of her captors had noticed, and Naruto hoped they never did. She knew that she healed quickly, but for her captors to learn, for _Hatake_ to learn would spell trouble. Being able to heal from extreme injuries meant they could torture her more so than normal without fear of her dying or losing herself.

She had to leave before they noticed.

She had to wait so they wouldn't drag her right back to where she was.

Naruto had to be patient.

So, with the intentions to distract her until the time came, Naruto started to think about her life.

The most prominent memories had to be of Deidara. Next, to her brother, there was an abundance of memories linked to Roshi, Hatori, Ikate, and the Tsuchikage. More recently, the blonde had acquired memories pertaining to her teammates and she even had some with Haku and Zabuza.

Memories with Deidara tended to be sweat. He was a gentle older brother. For all his bravado and love of explosions, he had a warm and calming personality. Often times Deidara would be teaching her something new, however, there were other times when they just sat and enjoyed one another's presence. These times were among her most favorite.

Next came her Sensei and Deidara's teammates. Roshi's memories often held great importance to her, or they served as a source of entertainment. Ikate and Hatori both served as comforts. The memories that Naruto had of the two helped her sleep soundly at night and kept her going during difficult times. The Tsuchikage often acted a goal for her to attain, a level of not only power but also respect that she wanted one day. She cherished these ones the most.

Finally, there were Naruto's memories with her teammates. From the stoic Shisui to the analytical Darui to the ever boisterous Yarui, all of them were slowly worming their way into her heart. Shisui acted as a reinforcement of her beliefs, while Darui stood as an encouraging force that kept her going. Yarui stood for who she had been and all she could improve. The three shinobi had made themselves pillars holding up Naruto's foundations, and she didn't want to lose them. She held these at the highest of importance.

The door at the front of the room opened.

Naruto raised her eyes to the newcomer, taking in the brunet in his entire splendor. Simple coloring, rather plain eyes, and no distinct clothing other than a hapuri faceguard. Just a plain Jonin from Konohagakure, nothing special.

Except, Naruto had watched this Jonin try and detain Zabuza with a large wood dragon.

"Awake?" The Jonin inquired as he stared blankly at Naruto.

Naruto only met the man's gaze with a bored expression. Her muscles began to tense as the man reached for her face, his fingers trailing down her eye.

"Strange…the lightning scars that were on your face aren't as prominent. Taichou had thought they'd be there for forever. Perhaps you got off lucky." The Jonin muttered in slight confusion, his fingers trailing down the side of her face to follow the line of the fading scar.

Naruto stiffened further and had to refrain from snarling at the man as his hand pushed aside her top to reveal her shoulder.

Against her tan skin rested the twisting remains of a bright tattoo, the segments of the mark crawling down toward her left breast. The markings looked a lot like the drawn-out strokes of a calligraphy brush, though they were pointed at both ends. The marks all spiraled toward the center mark resting right above her heart, the burst of red sparks that signified who she was.

Thankfully the Jonin did not invade her privacy and instead pulled away to stand. The Jonin worked his way around the room, making sure that she was still bound and that there wasn't anything left around. As he observed he tried to make small talk with the Kunoichi held captive.

"So, you're Iwatoshi Deidara's little sister?" The man commented.

Naruto stiffened again, her eyes narrowing to a glare on the man's back.

"I would never have thought we'd run into any Iwa Shinobi on this trip. Nor did I think my student would end up on her deathbed."

For a moment the Iwa Kunoichi felt like scoffing, but then she caught on to the end of the man's sentence.

So the girl she had poisoned, the Oreshizoku, was still alive? She must be quite strong then, Naruto thought.

"What did you use on her, anyway?" The Jonin turned to meet her gaze, his unsettling orbs digging deep into her soul with only a simple look.

On sharp intake of breath, and another more reluctant release left Naruto free of the man's gaze again, his attention turned toward the wall opposing her.

"She doesn't deserve to die."

The man murmured.

Naruto allowed her head to fall, her messy bangs falling over her face as she felt the ropes around her wrists slacken.

Lady Rida hadn't deserved a knife to the gut. Her Tou-San had deserved to be betrayed. Her clan did not deserve destruction.

Though, all of those things hadn't been within her control.

"Not many people do in our career choice." Naruto offered to man.

Ropes fell to the ground as Naruto raised her arm upward. She grasped the chakra-suppressant seal on her shoulder and tore it free in one swift motion; then she launched at the man.

The Jonin turned toward her, intent on answering, only to be greeted by Naruto ramming her fist into his face.

The unsuspecting Jonin hit the door's surface hard, falling even as Naruto threw him across the room.

Working quickly Naruto grabbed the handle of the door and twisted it, launching out of it even as she felt the earth rise in an attempt to swallow her whole.

Naruto rolled out of the way of several large spikes of the earth. She reached out and grabbed the first object near her. The object turned out to be the leg of a chair.

Without a thought, Naruto slammed the chair into the floor to break off the chair leg, twisting around into a crouch as she faced her opponent.

Her senses had rushed back to her without the seal keeping her down, though she still had a lot of chakra locked under several more seals she couldn't quite reach at the moment.

Before her, the Jonin had left the room and was flying through hand signs.

Naruto cursed and launched the wooden chair leg at the man, leaping clumsily over the burst of roots spawning beneath her feet. She hit the hard cement with a gasp but was soon scrambling back to her feet. She broke into a run and slammed into the door leading out of the main hut.

As she did, splinters of wood rained out into the brightly lit day.

Behind her, the Jonin had summoned more roots that kept reaching for her, though Naruto managed to evade them.

Landing hard on the ground, Naruto reached for chakra and pulled at the two elements that could get her out of her situation. Fire and lightning met in her clapped palms as she twisted around and glared fiercely at the man trying to detain her. Knowing what would happen next Naruto closed her eyes tightly and dampened her hearing with chakra.

A rather loud explosion rang out and sent her flying from the spot she had crouched at. The explosion spread out and compressed before lighting everything around it on fire, the hut that Naruto had resided in now burning brightly.

Stunned by the sudden attack, the Jonin stumbled from the area, his face slightly bloody and black while his right hand clutched his other arm. The man raised a hand and roots spawned below her once more.

Drawing up more chakra, despite the pain that it brought on her limited coils, Naruto spawned another explosion. This time she was too frantic to dampen her hearing in time, though she managed to close her eyes.

Ears ringing and without proper grounding, Naruto was left to the mercy of the force of the compressed energy. Her back slammed against the ground several meters away from where she had just been. All of the air circulating was knocked from her lungs and she tried to rise to get away.

Naruto had planned for the pain that came from being hit with her own abilities. More than once she had suffered at the hands of Roshi's lava; her own explosions were no better. She rolled over and bit her lip hard enough for it to bleed as pain raced up and down her limbs, her lungs tightening in an effort to push out more air in their damaged condition. Hatori was going to kill her for hurting herself so recklessly.

The world swam and Naruto turned around. She started running, even though she stumbled her first few leaps. She coughed and tried not to think about the metallic taste in her mouth as she tried to figure out where she was.

Something sounded behind her and she cursed, trying to work some earth chakra up past her burning coils in order to create a large wall. As she did so, the tags placed around her body lit up.

Unlike with the light of the explosion, this light did not spread. Instead. it melted into Naruto's skin, black marks forming all the way across her limbs as the chakra within the tags reacted to her treachery.

A fist nailed her in the gut and Naruto doubled over as her vision went black for a moment.

Her ears still rung painfully and her body ached as every limb became impossible to move. No matter what Naruto tried to do she couldn't feel her body or channel any more chakra.

"…messed up, " The man's words rang painfully along with the increasing buzz around her.

"Should have…quite possibly-" His comments continued along with the pounding in Naruto's head.

She had screwed up. She had ruined her only chance.

Nauseated, Naruto opened her eyes and tried to blink away the black spots in her vision. She could see wooden binds wrapping tightly around her and felt hands gripping her arms. Annoyed and vindictive, Naruto grasped the Jonin's wrist.

I~~~~I

Tenzo felt lightheaded and rather close to collapsing as he dropped down by his charge. Behind him the hut they had originally kept Naruto in burned furiously, the flames growing in volume and brightness every moment that passed. For such a small and young kid, Iwatoshi Hosha sure packed one hell of a fight. The kunoichi was able to overpower several suppressant seals to the point of enacting the overload feature Menma had only recently created.

They had all been surprised to witness the child's large chakra reserves and only now did Tenzo fully appreciate the hindsight of Menma to draw up several more permanent creations for their prisoner. Without them, Tenzo feared that the girl would have been able to escape him.

Reaching out for the girl's hands so he could search her for the tool they missed because those ropes had been sawed through, Tenzo stiffened.

A weak hand clasped around his wrist and two crimson eyes opened to glare into his own. A sharp pain flared up his arm and Tenzo tugged his arm away from his captive while glancing down sharply. To his utter surprise, resting just on the palm of the young blonde, was a mouth.

There was a fucking mouth on the girl's hand.

Tenzo fought the instinct to leap back and instead analyzed the mouth the girl had on her hand, glancing at the other in order to confirm the new idea in his head. As expected, another mouth rested on the other hand.

How in all of hell had they, during their removal of the girl's effects, missed the fact that this Kunoichi had a _mouth_ on each of her hands? Tenzo didn't quite understand how someone wouldn't notice something like that about the girl.

That was when Tenzo remembered the red eyes the girl had suddenly gained, his head swiveling to meet the girl's tired gaze again. Red hues met his gaze, slit pupils turning thin from the exposure to the fire's light. The entire beach was lit with the flames, something that Tenzo knew he would have to rectify and then get away from.

Tenzo summoned a Mokuton Clone next to him quickly. Even as his clone marched to put off the blaze with a few Water Jutsu, the Konoha Jonin kept his gaze on the girl's eyes.

The Iwa girl was strange in more ways than one. The only time that Tenzo had ever experienced someone's eyes changing red like this child was when Kushina had been threatened and drawn on the Kyuubi's Chakra. After she had lost the Kyuubi, Kushina no longer displayed the animalistic characteristics and her eyes no longer changed colors.

For a frightening moment, Tenzo feared for what this implicated.

Applying more wood to the girl's body, Tenzo's fears were realized when the red in the girl's eyes drained back to Cerulean.

All of a sudden, the girl's extra healing abilities made sense. The way that she was able to handle more than the average shinobi, or the fact that she had ten times the amount of chakra of a Jonin. All of the facts added up to one horrifying realization that Tenzo would rather have not made.

Iwatoshi Hosha had traces of Bijuu Chakra in her system. Tenzo knew it.

"Oh, you poor kid." Tenzo whispered sadly at the girl, his eyes taking on a shade of compassion. He knew how it felt to exist only as a weapon. The Jonin knew exactly how it felt to be created for the sole purpose of power.

"A Jinchuuriki…" He whispered again, watching as the girl below him blinked rapidly, confusion in her gaze. Then, almost as though her strings were cut, the kunoichi's eyes slipped shut and she fell into her exhaustion.

Twisting around, Tenzo took in the dwindling flames. He let out a sharp breath and then reached for the girl. The wood bindings fell away under her grip and soon the Iwatoshi female was resting against his chest. Careful of the girl's hands, Tenzo bound her with more tendrils of wood and then set toward Tazuna's home.

Right now, the home would be the safest place to stash their prisoner. Just until they could negotiate terms of release and possibly save Sashiko.

Tenzo was not optimistic regarding the latter possibility.

He pushed his legs harder and ended up flying through the trees toward Tazuna's home. His thoughts were silenced with the ease of someone used to not caring about anything anymore.

The Jonin figured he'd soon be back with his comrades, that he didn't have much more to worry about.

He was wrong.

"And just where do you think you are going with that?" Someone spoke to his right, just before Tenzo was forced to dive to the side.

Reflexively, Tenzo shifted his burden to his shoulder, his eyes lifting sharply to view a red-haired man drop where he had just been.

Molten lava splattered on the ground below the redhead, burning and smoldering with the smell of sulfur and carbon.

Tenzo's mouth went dry as he met the eyes of Roshi of the Lava Style with something akin to grief and determination.

Roshi rose to his full height and met Tenzo's stare head-on, his eyes restlessly scanning the man before they landed on his burden.

"So, you kidnapped my Student…of course. This is why I don't let Deidara watch her anymore." Roshi huffed gruffly and raised a hand, offering it to Tenzo.

"Give her over before you get hurt the kid, I'll only ask once. Then I'm just gonna take her from you by force." Roshi offered Tenzo.

Tenzo stiffened and stepped away from the offered hand.

Roshi's eyes narrowed and his hand dropped to his side at the action.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

I~~~~I

"He's doing well." A dark voice spoke up.

"Surprisingly. That sister of his has kept him going. She's the reason he refused our offer the last time." A blunt and yet amused monotone answered.

Both figures stood in the trees overlooking the distressed Iwatoshi Head and his teammates.

"We'll just have to strike when they least expect it and take the girl while we can. With her in custody…we can make him do anything."

"Hmm, I suppose. Don't act too brashly though. We need to wait for the right moment."

The second figure stood several feet away from its partner, though one could still see the sizable difference in height the two had.

"Heh, just as long as I get to hit the brat for last time." The taller of the two grinned at his threat, holding tightly to the large blade strung over his shoulder.

"Fine, Kisame. You can take care of Hosha."

I~~~~I

Oops? So I was going to try and write a chapter for SAN but then I thought of this and accidentally wrote it instead. Hope you guys enjoy it anyways! Also don't expect too many updates too often. I joined Tennis so I have practice after school and don't get home till later. I'm going to look into a backpack that can hold my laptop so I can work on my stories more often but we shall see.

 **Pairings-**

Sasuke-14

Ikate-4

Hatori-1

Itachi-3

 **Don't forget you can add anyone you think might fit within reason. Naruto will be meeting the rest of the Rookie Nine and even those not in Konoha can work out.**


	12. Mu

Naruto opened her eyes to the smell of burning earth.

Red crowded her vision before a tanned hand brushed her cheek, a gruff murmur shocking her from her stupor.

"Awake, Naruto?" Roshi asked her, his voice familiar even in her dreary state.

Breathing out in relief, Naruto nodded at the man and tried to rise up from the ground. Her body ached from the torture she had undergone the past few days, though it did not compare to the pain she had been in after her first session Roshi.

Despite having been healed, she could still trace the spots where burns had marked her skin for months. She still saw the rough and red skin that peeled away to reveal blood and bone. Nothing would ever get rid of the image of her arm after she took Roshi's attack head on. No matter the unblemished skin she now had, Naruto would always remember.

"So, how did they catch you off guard? As far as I know, no one but the Tsuchikage and his stupid ANBU can sneak up on you anymore." Roshi questioned her, his large hand cupping her back as he helped her up.

The man was unharmed, though that much was to be expected.

Lying on the ground ahead of them was a single body, though the faint rise and fall of the bound and gagged shinobi's chest told Naruto he was still alive. The Leaf Shinobi had picked a fight with the wrong person in this, and he most likely wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. Naruto knew all too well how much Roshi's hits hurt and how long it took to recover from them. The last time he had nailed her with an unrestrained punch she had spent a week at home on bedrest.

"They grew suspicious about a series of meetings I had with one of their teammates. One of them recognized me and decided to attack. I had poisoned their teammate, who is still somehow alive, and they wanted the antidote. Something about her not deserving to die at the hands of a Iwa Nin or on a mission such as this one." Naruto told her Sensei.

Roshi nodded, his eyes glancing over the male he had subdued. He had been surprised when the man proved to be a Mokuton user, though even the naturally suppressive abilities of Mokuton were no match for Roshi's lava style. He did not have to use the chakra of the beast within him to finish off a shinobi, no matter how easy it would be to do so.

Thinking about his status as a Jinchuuriki reminded him of what he had overheard before taking back his apprentice.

Looking down at the girl who was slowly recovering her senses, Roshi tried to feel for any sign of the chakra he had felt earlier. Back when Naruto had launched her first explosion there had been a release of chakra that he knew all too well.

For years Roshi had felt this nagging voice at the back of his head. It told him something was odd about the adopted Iwatoshi child. For years during their training, he would feel as though he could understand Naruto more than anyone else, and she him in return.

Only after seeing the Mokuton user forcibly bind her did Roshi realized what he had felt.

The Mokuton user had called her a Jinchuuriki, had seen the power she had within and identified it as that of a Bijuu.

Roshi wasn't certain how he felt about sharing that aspect with his apprentice.

"I removed the seals on your person and gave you my extra pouch. The kunai in their have your paralysis on them so be careful." Roshi broke the silence, trying to remove the sinking feeling in his gut.

He had seen the amount of seals it had taken the Leaf Nin to subdue his student, and he had also seen what they had tortured her with. Lightning scars along her limbs and face, mostly faded but still visible. She had gone through a lot.

He supposed it was a good thing that he had trained her the way that he did.

"Sensei?" Naruto questioned him, her fingers brushing the hilts of the kunai he had gifted her. She was also observing her skin, as though she were trying to find any more seals that had been placed on her.

Roshi looked down at the girl making sure to clear anything telling from his expression. He'd tackle this later on, when they weren't in enemy territory. If Naruto happened to actually hold the power of a Bijuu…she'd need all the help she could get from him to control it. Preferably, before anyone learned about that power. Roshi had had to deal with power-hungry men trying to control him more than enough times to know that this information had to stay between him and Naruto.

"Yes?" Roshi questioned her back gruffly.

Naruto blinked at him and took on a confused expression.

"Not that I'm not glad you didn't help me out, but why are you here? I thought Tsuchikage-Sama sent you off somewhere else." She asked.

Roshi sighed and removed his arm from the girl's back to reach into his coat pocket.

"He sent me after you guys after he looked through Gato's credentials and found out the man was holding out on investments from him. He wanted me to come and rescind the deal. Gato's termination order was issued yesterday." The Jinchuuriki told his apprentice.

Naruto closed her eyes and chuckled.

"Serves the bastard right. Thinking he could withdraw investments from Tsuchikage-Sama's eyes and avoid the consequences. Fool." She smirked in gratification as she opened her eyes, smooth and frosty revenge glinting in her blue orbs.

"Does that mean we will be leaving the Konoha Shinobi alone?" The kunoichi asked Roshi.

Roshi nodded at her sharply.

He pretended not to notice the relief shifting over the girl's shoulders.

"No harm then. Alright, that means I have a pit-stop to make before we go after Gato. And don't you dare think I wont be going with you, Sensei." Naruto spoke, her eyes narrowing on her sensei near the end of her words.

Roshi narrowed his eyes back at her.

"Gaki, you don't get to call the shots. You're injured and need medical attention."

Naruto waved the objection off and rose to her feet steadily. She turned toward the Shinobi that Roshi had just downed, walking toward him.

"I'm fine." She argued back, reaching to drag the man up over her shoulder. Roshi snarled at her in annoyance and rushed over. With a smooth movement he hauled the downed Mokuton user over his shoulder, leaving a smirking blonde to raise a brow at him from below.

The blonde shook her head and turned toward the town. She shifted her gaze over the woods and contemplated her next actions before deciding on her course of action.

"How about you let me do this, and if I can't, you can make me sit out." Naruto bargained.

Roshi glared at the blonde, but he relented with a nod soon after she spoke.

Naruto nodded back and launched forward, her eyes settled in the direction of the Bridge Builder's home. Since the Konoha Nin were no longer their enemies, Naruto felt she had a little it of business to attend to. After all, the Konoha Shinobi had seemed insistent that she give them the key to healing their downed teammate.

It would be terrible of Naruto to not end what she had originally started.

I~~~~I

They had dropped in front of the house just as Gato's guards showed up. Two Samurai, barely worth the title, were dragging the young daughter and her son from the house with leers stretching over their faces.

Naruto had been through enough hostage situations and had studied enough in her academic courses to know what happened to any woman taken by bandits or thugs.

She really did not feel like watching these lowlifes hurt this nice woman, no matter her standing as an enemy of Iwagkaure.

There was no warning, no call to the men to order them to stop. They did not deserve a chance to even grovel at Naruto's feet over their sins. No, they would die just like their master. Cold, quick, and in pain.

Blood splattered around the walkway, the screams of the young boy trying to save his mother growing in volume. The woman shouted and reached for her kid as he broke down in hysterics.

Two bodies fell, the blood-covered kunai in Naruto's grasp glinting.

Glancing at the blade, Naruto shook her wrist to flick the blood from the blade.

"Disgusting vermin." She muttered under her breath as she pocketed the blade, her eyes shifting over the two civilians curled away from her.

The brat had stopped screaming, though now he was hyperventilating while staring at the decapitated corpses near his mother's feet.

The mother was clutching her son close, her eyes tearful and filled with fear. The woman looked at Naruto and clung to her son, protecting him.

It was sweet, the fact that even in the face of a dangerous foe, the woman put her son before herself. She was a true parent, one that would face hell itself if it meant keeping her son safe. Naruto could appreciate and respect guts like the woman had.

"No need to worry, my business is with your father if any of you at all. I just can't stand when people try to take advantage of others. It's loathsome." Naruto told the woman, turning her head to look around the threshold.

Her gaze paused at the staircase leading up to the second floor. A moment and a single pulse of chakra notified her of the Genin upstairs. They were struggling to breathe through their obstructed airways, causing tremors to wrack their chest with each breath.

So, one genin resting in bed near death. Naruto guessed this one was her target.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to," Naruto informed the two, stepping past the doorway into the home. She drew at her chakra and prepared a low-level explosive Jutsu while also reaching for a kunai and a stunner.

"W-What are you doing?" The woman questioned her in fear, her eyes pricking with tears.

Behind her, Roshi stood alone. He was watching the scene unfold with a calm he did not often show. His eyes trailed after his student, catching the rise and fall of her shoulders after a heavy sigh left her lips.

"Fixing my mistake," Naruto told her quietly, marching toward the stairs of the home.

The woman's eyes widened and she reached out with one arm, terror and worry now taking over.

"N-No! Please don't harm that girl, please!" She called out desperately, having deduced Naruto's purpose.

Naruto continued forward, ignoring the woman's pleas even as they rose in volume.

"I beg you, leave her alone!"

Naruto walked up the steps of the house, escaping Roshi's sight for the moment. She paused to pulse her chakra again, turning toward the doorway to one of the rooms. The sliding down was closed, but she still could sense the body behind the door.

Walking forward, Naruto shoved the door aside and ignored the thud of the screen against the opposing wall. She instead trained her eyes on the body resting on the cot on the floor.

The girl's bluish-grey hair was left to spread around her head like a darkened halo, her pale skin sweaty and growing lighter with each passing moment.

The Oreshizoku looked like death with the dark circles underneath her eyes, her cheeks hollow from the nutritional depletion. Her hands were weakly clenching the sheets at her side, while her lungs struggled to take in any air.

The girl was on the last stage of the poison, something that should have happened a long time ago. In fact, the Oreshizoku's continued existence was a large surprise to Naruto.

Naruto shook her head at the stubbornness of such a small child before she knelt down beside the girl.

Her eyes ghosted the girl's frame, taking in the finer details of the girl, including the headbands settled at her bedside and the tattoo imprinted on her neck.

"You are a fighter." Naruto complimented the Oreshizoku, reaching forward.

She placed her fingertip over the girl's heart and closed her eyes.

She had something to amend. She would do it.

Even with the screams of the woman downstairs echoing, even with the labored breathing torturing her every step of the way. Naruto had to finish this.

She channeled her chakra, and in a quick pulse, sent a shock from the tip of her finger directly into the kunoichi's heart.

Abruptly, the girl stilled.

I~~~~I

Naruto stepped out of the woman's house with a blank expression. She ignored the way the woman's face fell and how she clutched her son close to her chest. She ignored the way they flinched away from her when she stepped past them and ignored the sobs that sounded brokenly from the woman's mouth.

She looked up at her Sensei, nodding sharply at him.

Roshi looked up at the house and sighed, dropping the unconscious body of his opponent near the woman. He too ignored her cries and instead reached for Naruto.

The blonde took his hand and the two flickered away in a rising cloud of dust.

They reappeared near the bridge, their eyes falling on the chaos below.

The Konoha Nin were fighting Naruto's teammates, Shisui and Yarui handling the redhead and his raven partner, while Darui and Haku were handling the Uchiha and his pink-haired teammate.

Well, mostly the Uchiha. The Pink haired girl was trying to guard the Bridgebuilder, though her defense was pitiful. Naruto saw hundreds of ways to end Tazuna without needing to slip past the 'kunoichi'.

At the head of the bridge, Kakashi was facing off against Zabuza and Deidara. He wasn't faring well, though he was honestly better off than his other helpers.

It seemed Konoha had managed to procure more backup after realizing just what position they were in. Two more Jonin were facing Hatori and Ikate. Both of them were dark haired and worked together seamlessly. Despite their prowess, however, they seemed to have run into a problem.

The two ravens sported red eyes with tomo swirling within. They were Uchiha Nin, and they had just challenged one of their worst nightmares.

Hatori, for all his calm and Samurai-like tendencies, was their antithesis. The Uchiha were not the only Shinobi with Doujutsu, after all. Hatori had been born with a unique Kekai-Genkai, one that allowed him to see and dispel chakra disruptions and yin constructs.

Without the use of their famed Sharingan, the Uchiha lost one of their main upper-hands.

"They are handling themselves well," Naruto commented as she crouched down on a tree a ways away. She was looking out for the perfect moment to jump in and cause maximum damage to the enemy before revealing their change in plans.

"Yeah. Look, how about you stay here? I'll deal with Gato's finances." Roshi called out.

Naruto debated the offer, before nodding.

"Leave the whelp for me…No one crosses Jiji and gets away with it on my watch." Naruto hissed, her eyes darkening as she clenched her fists.

Roshi took a moment before nodding in assent. "I can do that."

With that said, the Jinchuuriki vanished from behind the blonde.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto shifted her gaze over the remaining fighters.

Hatake was flashing through hand signs, his arm drawing back as lightning chakra raced across the limb. Naruto's breath caught in her throat when she noticed the Jutsu aimed at Deidara. Deidara, who for all his talent, was too close to dodge. Her brother who was eyeing the limb with grim acceptance while he palmed a kunai in his hand.

Her stupid idiot of a brother who wasn't moving quick enough and would no doubt get hit by that stupid jutsu.

Closing her eyes to draw in both strength and to channel her chakra, Naruto added pulses to her legs and shot across the water of the bridge

Kakashi's hand lit up like a beacon, the chattering of birds echoing around the bridge as his arm shot toward Deidara's chest. Deidara raised his arm, in turn, preparing to activate the explosive kunai gripped tightly in his grasp so that he took Kakashi down with him.

Darkness fell around Naruto as she vanished from her position. Light only flooded back when she dropped down in front of the flickering energy gathered in Hatake's palm. Behind her, Deidara's eyes widened in horror and her name left his lips.

"N-Naruto!" He shouted, dropping the kunai as his hand reached out to her.

Hatake looked just as surprised, if not more than Deidara did at her appearance. Naruto smirked at the man, her smile feral and promising in a way that left him unsettled.

Naruto's hand clamped around the Copy-Nin's wrist, gripping tightly as she pulled at the chakra in his wrist, forcing the limb away from her body.

Consequently, the growing ball of lightning was pushed aside and left to wither in the air. Naruto channeled the chakra from the man's hand into her own arm, draining the man with her hands.

The Jonin jerked away from her, stepping back in shock as the wisps of his blue chakra faded into Naruto's fingers. Left on his wrist were bloody teeth marks, each one engraved deeply in the man's skin.

Naruto pulled her wrist up, the revealed palm showcasing a bloody mouth.

"W-What…H-How?" The Jonin spoke in shock, staring down at Naruto as she wiped her palm on her shirt. Naruto stared blankly at him, her eyes glowing with retribution. She was waiting for the right moment to act.

"Gaki." Zabuza spoke from behind her, his tone deep and edged with worry.

Naruto did not dare to glance back at the Nuke Nin. Instead, she merely waved at the man while eyeing Kakashi distrustfully.

"Hatake Kakashi." Naruto addressed the man, standing tall despite the fact she was rocking back on her heels.

"Iwatoshi Hosha." The man parried, watching her with narrowed eyes as he held his bleeding wrist to his chest.

Naruto shook her head at the title and stepped forward. Ignoring the way her opponent tensed, she shouted.

"STOP!"

Her voice echoed across the bridge, the tone drawing all of the Iwa Nin to stop in their fights and retreat. Shisui grabbed Haku on his way back, deflecting the weapons tossed at them by the Konoha Genin.

The Iwa Nin all dropped down behind Naruto and Deidara. The leader of the mission stared warily at his sister, reaching for her as he spoke up.

"Hosha, what are you-" He tried to question her, only to grow surprised when the girl shrugged him off and stepped toward the Copy Nin.

"As of now, Iwagakure is withdrawing from this fight. Gato has betrayed the Tsuchikage's confidence. We are no longer under his service, and therefore, we are not your enemies." Naruto told the Jonin, standing still for a moment to express her sincerity through her eyes.

The Copy Nin stiffened, his Sharingan swirling as he looked her over.

Shisui and Yarui traded glances with Darui, before all three stepped up beside Naruto, bypassing Deidara. Darui stepped up to the left of Naruto, while Shisui took her right and Yarui took her back.

Naruto relaxed slightly with them next to her, her gaze losing part of its bite as she continued to wait for Kakashi's answer.

Kakashi glanced at her teammates, taking in their protective nature around her, and the way they defaulted to her for orders. More than likely these kids were going to be trained as her guards since she was the sister of an important Clan Head. Maybe the girl didn't know, but even so, Kakashi could see they would take care of one another.

He hadn't wanted to kill the kids in the first place. If Iwa was withdrawing from the conflict, then he supposed he'd let them go. Even if one of their Nin had nearly killed his student.

"Very well. I suppose we are not enemies anymore, Iwatoshi-San." Hatake told her.

Naruto hummed, tilting her head as she nodded in acknowledgment.

Behind Hatake, the three Uchiha had gathered next to the pink-haired Genin, the other two Ninja appearing behind the Copy Nin. They all seemed rather shocked by the turn of events, though the older Uchiha were eyeing the Iwa Nin distrustfully.

Uneasy silence spread between the two parties, thwarted only by a third party entering.

"I should have known." A wheezy voice suddenly spoke from behind, drawing the attention of the Ninja present to the newcomer.

Short and rather non-threatening, Gato stood at the edge of the bridge.

Behind him dozens of thugs had lined up, each of them armed to the teeth and prepared to attack anyone they were ordered to.

Naruto narrowed her eyes at the man, her fingers wiggling slightly as she slipped one of her hands into the pouch Roshi had given her.

Gato smirked at her, his eyes drifting across the multitude of Nin. His eyes lingered on the injuries each party had sustained before he started to laugh.

"Who would have thought that you Iwa Nin would be just as untrustworthy as people say. It's no wonder your village doesn't have many allies, it's too busy killing off anyone who needs their help." Gato snarked at them, his eyes glinting behind his glasses.

Naruto narrowed her eyes at the man as she withheld her annoyance. Instead, she drew on the training she had with Roshi and forced herself to remain calm. Revenge would come in do time. She would make Gato pay for trying to dupe her Kage soon enough.

"No arguments? Well, I'm not surprised." Gato commented as he stepped forward.

"Hosha," Yarui spoke, his voice questioning even as he reached for his weapons.

Naruto raised a hand to the boy, stepping forward. She walked past her teammate, moving beyond her brother as well. She walked past all of the Nin gathered behind her, her eyes directed at the traitor before them.

Gato stiffened as she continued to walk toward him, her steps almost never wavering.

"Z-Zabuza!" The scared man shouted, trying to stall for time.

Zabuza stepped in front of Naruto, earning a raised brow from the Kunoichi.

"Sorry, Gaki, but he is my meal ticket," Zabuza informed her, gripping the handle of his sword.

The Shinobi behind her tensed, even though it was unneeded.

"How much is he paying you, Zabuza-san?" Naruto questioned the Nuke Nin, removing a kunai from her pouch as she stared down the Demon of the Mist.

Zabuza met her gaze evenly and replied warily.

"Twenty-Thousand Ryo." The man revealed, earning a shake of the head from the girl before him.

"Not even the amount of a B-Rank. Quite rude. How about I double that? Money from my own pocket dedicated to you stepping aside in the name of formal Iwagakure Business. You can either take that or die here and now." Naruto spoke calmly, as though she were not threatening the man who had trained her the past few days.

Zabuza seemed surprised at her offer, as well as her threat. He knew the girl had taken a liking to Haku and him, but he still didn't expect for her to offer a way out. He doubted the girl could truly kill him, but with her backing of Iwa…He wouldn't make it out alive if he attacked her.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction and stepped around Zabuza, ignoring the way his eyes trailed after her.

Gato sputtered and growled.

"You traitorous Ninja! How dare you betray me!" He shouted at Zabuza, raising a meaty finger up to point at the advancing Kunoichi.

"Attack, end them!" Gato called. His voice echoed and the weasel-like quality left everyone's ears ringing.

The Iwa Nin tensed in preparation for the foolish attack, only to pause when Naruto reached up to grip the top of her Kimono with her free hand.

"Despicable. You truly believe that these _worthless_ vermin can handle a Kunoichi or Iwa? Disgraceful." The odd words left Naruto's lips.

Insults from the blonde were few an far between. Most insults came in cheerful banter that was often tossed aside as her nature, but not these. The words that spilled from her lips this time were far from pleasant and rang with a harsh truth. They held hatred unlike any other, one that had reached a level of loathing few ever did.

Naruto gripped the kunai in her other hand tightly as the mercenaries launched at her, intent on tearing her apart.

"How dare you…" She muttered again, vanishing from view.

There was a single pulse of confusion, the masses of Samurai pausing momentarily in shock, just before blood spewed from the first row of attackers.

Naruto appeared in a crouch before the mercenaries, blood raining down upon her as she shot into the fray.

Zabuza had to grip his emotions tightly so he didn't show his surprise. He did not expect Naruto to attack Gato's thugs, nor did he expect for the girl to do it in such a…ruthless manner.

Blood fell upon the bridge as Naruto shot through the ranks, her other hand now armed with a kunai. Each blade tore into a multitude of thugs, the metal stained crimson from the lives it took. The steps that the blonde took never faltered, her movements precise in a fluid dance, almost as though she were simply working through kata's rather than people.

Bodies fell around her, splattering to the floor with sickening sounds even as the screams of many drowned out all other noise.

Naruto silenced these screams as she created new ones, her eyes harsh and settled on one person.

Gato backpedaled as he witnessed the massacre, his jaw dropping open to reveal pearly white teeth. Blood splattered over his face and soon his immaculate suit was covered in the metallic liquid.

Naruto did not call out when a thug managed a lucky hit, his blade dragging across her left shoulder even as her kunai slid over his neck and another pierced his gut.

Gato slipped and fell to the floor, his voice coming out in terrified squeaks as Naruto finished off the last of his men.

"D-Demon…" He hissed at her finally, his shades falling from his face to shatter on the ground below him.

Naruto stopped, staring in disinterest at the man.

Her kimono's sleeve was severed, blood that was not her own soaking the fabric and drifting down her skin in thick droplets.

Red stood out against her pale skin, the color prominent not only as fluid but also as ink etched on her skin.

Naruto crouched before the man, staring into his eyes as she palmed her Kunai.

"How dare you backstab my Tsuchikage," Naruto told the man, her eyes hardening.

Gato flinched, shock coloring his features.

"W-What!? T-That is what this is about, but, but why?! I only wanted…I wanted a bigger cut, that's all!" Gato shouted at her, wincing as his volume broke his voice into something shrill.

Naruto shook her head at the man's explanation.

"You presented your financial standings as only 75% of the true earnings. You promised my Kage a 25% cut in the business. You took away _tens-of-thousands_ of your earnings from my Kage and my village all because of your greed."

Gato squealed when Naruto raised the kunai to end him, her eyes filled with anger.

"W-WAIT! W-What if I signed over more! Thirty Percent of the actual investments this time!" Gato pleaded, pausing the movement's of his executioner for a moment.

"How about all of it." Naruto offered.

Gato gulped when he saw the blade inch forward. Despite his greed, he still valued his life more than his money. Cowardly.

"O-Okay…" He agreed.

Naruto smirked and removed a slip of paper from her person.

Gato was shocked to see a pen in her grasp and the documents pertaining to their discussion.

"Put it in ink, so I don't have to do this again," Naruto ordered.

Gato tried to complain, to remove himself from the situation, only to find the kunai at his jugular.

Gulping again, an action which caused the kunai to scratch at his throat, Gato took the pen and hastily signed the paper.

Naruto pulled the paper from the man, careful to not get blood on the document as she slipped it into the inner part of her kimono. As she did, Gato's eyes lingered on the bandages hiding her chest from view.

Sneering at the man, Naruto dropped the kunai into his lap and stood. She turned sharply and began walking away.

Her skin throbbed, the red markings on her tattooed skin beginning to glow.

Gato had released a choked sob of relief the moment Naruto turned her back to him, his back falling to the ground.

"Vermin should be extinguished," Naruto muttered, raising her hand up in a single seal.

She noticed the way the Konoha Jonin stiffened and the way her brother recognized the seal. Naruto saw the moment that the Konoha Genin realized something was wrong, and she saw the moment her teammates nodded in her direction.

The kunai on Gato's lap started to heat up, glowing red. The normally silver kunai cracked, exposing a white core within supercharged with chakra.

Gato looked to the kunai, opening his eyes in shock while his head jerked up to eye her back.

He opened his mouth to shout, only for the kunai to expand.

A fire erupted behind her, the noise deafening amidst the silent night. Heat burned at Naruto's back as she continued to walk forward, the explosion blowing her hear up around her face while several of the bandages around her chest loosened. The fabric fell away just enough to show the burning inscriptions of red tribal markings crawling up to Naruto's heart.

The red ink began to glow the curves spreading out from the segment ending just above Naruto's shoulder so that it now stretched out across her elbow. The red ink settled, the glowing halting as the explosion behind the girl died away.

The smell of burnt flesh wafted across them, Naruto's steps faltering for a moment as she felt pain pulse where the marking had just settled.

Another segment, another life taken by her abilities. That was the purpose of her tattoo, of the explosion that spread from her heart over her chest and across her arm. Each segment was a life that her Jutsu stole, another body burned by the flames and power she had created.

The world before her swam, the sky darkening even as the ground drew near. Naruto plummeted into the darkness, losing herself to the echoing screams of the lives she had removed from the Elemental Nations.

I~~~~I

She woke up in a tent next to Hatori, his hands carefully ghosting her chest with green light as he checked her over for injuries.

"You're awake," Hatori commented softly, his eyes scanning her body instead of meeting her gaze.

Naruto blinked at him, looking around the larger tent with a questioning gaze.

Hatori sighed, halting his procedure so he could help her up.

"You've been out for a day. We are outside of Ame right now. You missed a lot, though I guess it wasn't too important. Roshi explained what happened to us, including how he found you after you were tortured."

Hatori's eyes darkened at the mention of her untimely kidnapping, the multi-colored hues finally meeting her own.

"You have nerve damage to your body and you will need a mind healer once we return to Iwa. Damn Naruto, what the hell were you thinking letting that happen?! Without your extra healing abilities…" Hatori's teeth clenched and he reached over to grip her shoulder.

Naruto stiffened as clarity rushed through her system. She had only ever seen Hatori close to losing his cool once before, and that was after he found out about just what her father had done the night her clan was killed.

"You need to take better care of yourself, Hosha," Hatori told her, his eyes filled with too much emotion for Naruto to comprehend.

The grip on her shoulder shifted and Naruto was pulled into a tight embrace as Hatori let loose a stressed sigh.

"Don't do it again."

I~~~~I

Sashiko didn't know how to react.

Ken and Sai were both at her bedside, Ken clutching at her arm as though he feared she would vanish. Menma was crying into her shoulder like a small child, his arms wound tightly around her waist.

Itachi and Shisui stood above her, her eyes questioning them over what the hell was happening.

She remembered the blonde haired kunoichi, a sharp pain, white light…and then…what happened after? Pain, more than she had ever felt in her lifetime. The burning edges of a poison creeping in her veins and the sharp pulse of chakra that left her filled lungs hollow once more.

Somehow, Sashiko had survived being poisoned by the Iwa Kunoichi.

The Oreshizoku Kunoichi had a sinking feeling that her attacker had also been her savior. She also had the inkling that the act would not be without cost.

For now, she supposed she'd calm down Menma.

I~~~~I

 **Here we go. The true start to this fic. Sorry it took so long, but I needed time to figure out where I was taking this story. The whole pairing's thing is also part of where this story will go, since I really don't have much of an idea. Unlike with SAN, I did not write ten chapters of this and then plan out which way it would go in a meticulous process. I simply wrote and published what I wrote, since I wanted to finally get started on the fic I had adopted. I only ever was able to formulate the story into something I _wanted_ to work with after adding in my OC's, since I couldn't just have Minato and Kushina just stay alive without some serious suspension of disbelief, with or without strange Narutoverse rules. Also, the Kyuubi has not been forgotten. Yamato isn't liable to stay quiet forever.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing. You guys are the best and I really appreciate the support you are giving this story! Stay tuned for more updates and for the next chapters.**

 **Pairings-I won't be taking multiple votes, sorry. It's a little confusing to do so, and it encourages reviewing solely for that purpose.**

Sasuke-12

Ikate-4

Hatori-1

Itachi-6

Gaara-4

Shikamaru-1


	13. Nu

"Iwatoshi Hosha, Genin of Iwagakure and member of the Bomber Core, how do you plead?"

Naruto's head hurt. She just wanted out of this situation. She did not want to deal with any of this stupidity anymore. She had expected to come back to Iwa and be greeted just like she had been any other time. Instead, she was stuck in this mess.

"For the last time, shut the hell up." Naruto snarled angrily at the accusatory party before her.

Hatori's deep chuckles echoed behind her, a long arm settling around her shoulders as the boy rested his chin on her head. He looked ahead of them, toward the annoyed and daunting looking Deidara, before he started chuckling again.

"Give it a rest Dei. You and I both know Naruto needed to do what she did so that she wouldn't die. Everything turned out alright, and the Leaf Ninja didn't attack us since their kid healed up pretty well. Hosha is good for now." The Genin defended her, his eyes glinting with an amused light.

Deidara, still in his over-protective brother mode, scowled at the man. He had not let up on her the entire journey back to the village. He was angry at her for stepping out of bounds on a mission under his control, and for getting caught in a 'preventable' situation.

"Ni-San, just drop it already." Naruto told her brother, raising her blue eyes to meet his with an exasperated sigh edged with weariness.

She hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights. She'd been having dreams that drowned her world in red, the metallic scent of blood all around her. She dreamt of the dead dragging her into the earth, of screaming without forming any sound. She dreamt of nine tendrils lashing out, capturing and constricting around her until she could no longer breathe.

Naruto was no stranger to bad dreams. She had her fair share after the death of the Bomber Clan, and even more following her training with Roshi. The red marks on her chest often came alive and the souls she had taken tried to eat away at her, even though they were long gone from the material world.

"Let it go Deidara. Naruto is still healing." Roshi suddenly spoke up, his gruff tone silencing any further arguments.

Naruto looked up at the man, nodding at him in thanks.

Roshi always seemed to understand her more than anyone else was able to. He had this odd connection to her that she hadn't even formed with her brother. She supposed it had a bit to do with being outcasts in their own home, but it also felt like more than that sometimes.

"Besides, we're back home." Roshi gestured ahead, bringing the others to attention. Everyone, Deidara and Naruto's teams included, turned to gaze at the opened gates that guarded Iwagakure alongside the rising pillars of stone weathered for hundreds of years down to harsh points.

Standing at the gate, awaiting their return, was a stout figure that Naruto had grown up bowing to.

"Tsuchikage-Sama!" Naruto called out happily, her eyes shutting as she smiled widely and rushed past the others to greet her leader.

Hatori sighed and glanced back at his friend, watching the previously silent Ikate smile faintly at the girl and step forward to meet her.

He had nearly started to speed up when another face revealed itself from the Tsuchikage's side. The figure, dressed in the standard Iwa-Shinobi garb and currently chastising a happy Naruto, looked up to see them.

Her hair was a dark black that shined in the afternoon sun. Her face was open in a way few were in Iwa, and she had an aura about her that spoke business.

Her gaze settled on the group, passing over Hatori with little thought, residing on Ikate long enough to nod, and finally settling on Deidara.

The kunoichi's eyes narrowed and Deidara stiffened visibly as the group drew close enough to talk to the two awaiting Ninja.

Naruto had stopped in her greeting of the village leader upon seeing the kunoichi, her eyes shading over while her happiness visible dimmed. She seemed to curl into herself from the earlier words spared over her actions, and her lips thinned into a line.

"Kurotsuchi-Sama." Hatori greeted the woman first, taking his step beside the closed off Naruto without hesitation.

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes on Hatori, his lips twisting slightly in distaste.

"Team Threadbare." She greeted cordially, turning to look at Ikate with a moment's pause. She stepped forward, reaching to brush some dirt from Ikate's shoulder while offering the male a small smile.

"You alright, Ikate?" She teased, her light tone providing further tension for the group.

Ikate sighed at the tension and tried to dispel it with a small laugh as he waved off Kurotsuchi's concern. "Mhmm, I'm fine Kuro. What are you doing back? Did your mission end that quickly?"

Naruto turned away from the two, glancing toward the Tsuchikage again with a stony expression. The Tsuchikage, ever observant, nodded at her.

She sighed and whispered a soft thank you before gesturing to her team. She waited for them all to recognize her signal, before the four Genin vanished in quick bursts of chakra.

Kurotsuchi seemed to notice the vanishing of the younger Nin, her eyes drifting back to her godfather in a questioning manner. The man only shook his weary head and gestured to the remaining nin for them to follow him.

Ikate glanced in the direction he had felt Naruto vanish in, worry clouding his mind for a moment before he was falling behind Deidara with Hatori. They could find the girl after the mission briefing.

I~~~~I

She hadn't felt so helpless in a long time.

For years, she had stood as something constant in her family. As he mother caved from the death of her father, as the twins struggled to make a name for themselves in the disgusting world, as Ichihara-Ni abandoned them…she had stood tall and acted as a pillar. The last time she had been in the hospital had been when she was a small child and had nearly been taken out by one of Danzo's allies.

Sashiko wasn't used to being in a hospital bed or having doctors tell her she couldn't train or be with her teammates.

Sighing heavily, the child looked up at the mirror before her, the water she had splashed on her face falling into the basin in thick droplets. She wore her standard black undershirt and pants, her headbands and equipment left at her bedside until she was released.

The image of that blond flashed in her mind's eye. The kunoichi from Iwa had been strong and quicker than Sashiko. She had moved with purpose and had taken them down without mercy.

Sashiko had nearly died because of the wound that Kunoichi had gave her. She had only survived because the girl had offered her the cure, whatever it was, and erased the toxin form her system.

Shaking her head, Sashiko grabbed a nearby towel and gently patted her face dry, rising to her full height as she ambled out of the bathroom.

Beyond the door, the twins both sat near her bed. They were arguing over what fruit she should eat, the two laughing together in comraderie. An ache formed in Sashiko's chest even as she smiled and greeted the two.

She missed her brother, missed talking to him at night and showing him the stars. Sashiko missed the moments when he would come home and everyone would tackle him, including her mother and Menma's, shouting out how they were glad he was back. She missed the lightning sparks he would dance across her skin and shoot into the sky on the day of the Kyuubi-Festival to commemorate those lost.

"Sashi-Chan?" Mila questioned her, her head tilting as the smile on her lips faltered slightly.

Pushing back the burning rage that grew in her chest, Sashiko smiled back at her siblings and forced herself to walk to them.

"Did you guys bring me something? That's nice of you."

Miko and Mila shared looks, though they didn't mention her mood swing and instead started chatting about what had happened while she was in the hospital. Minato, her Godfather, had apparently decided to send a team to Iwa for the Chunin Exams. According to Mila, Genma and Aoba had been sent to act as a simple bridge between the two villages. There was also some hinting that Minato wanted to discuss the recent mission mishap, but Sashi wasn't certain.

Sashiko just wanted out of the hospital. She had nothing to do but dwell on her thoughts and sink deeper into the darkness that had plagued her mind since she first realized that her brother had abandoned them. Maybe Shisui would bail her out of the hospital. She still had a favor to cash in.

I~~~~I

"Naruto, I've been meaning to ask…"

Naruto looked up from the Takiyaki that she had been eating to gaze at her fellow blonde teammate. After leaving the older Shinobi to handle the debriefing, Team Overkill(A title bestowed to them by Hatori due to their insane powers) had gone to eat at a tea house and talk over the mission. Strangely, Yarui had remained silent while Darui and Shisui took part in the majority of the discussion.

"Hm, what is it?" The girl asked, earning a hesitant glance from the boy, before the Genin sighed and met her eyes grimly.

"Did you…How did you deal with the lightning techniques that the Leaf Nin put you through? I mean, I've seen full Jonin struggle to maintain themselves after exposure to lightning, and you seemed to just shrug it off like it's nothing…" Yarui's brow furrowed more as he spoke, his tone sharp and confused.

Naruto stiffened at the question, her eyes widening a fraction.

She had never thought that Yarui would be the one to question her on her resistance. She supposed it was only a matter of time before her team learned about what exactly Roshi had put her through in the three years he had been her Sensei without the other three Genin there.

"Well…" Naruto trailed off as she tried to put her thoughts into words. The process was made harder by the gazes of not just one of her teammates, but the rest as well. It seemed Yarui wasn't the only confused one.

"Roshi-Sensei had a lot to do with it. You see, I'm the Heiress to the Iwatoshi Clan since by brother took control of it. Because of this, I am the target for a lot of assassination and kidnap attempts. That is one of the main reasons that Roshi was made my Sensei, though there is more to it than that. I can't tell you everything, but do to my status as a high profile target, Tsuchikage-Sama ordered Roshi-Sensei to train me in specific areas incase I was ever compromised. In fact…That wasn't the first time I was shocked as a torture method."

Naruto scratched the back of her neck, her eyes cast to the floor.

"Iwa-Nin typically have earth-affinities, meaning our bodies don't conduct electricity well, which can cause more damaged to us. Enemies like to use that fact against us, so Roshi-Sensei trained my resistance to those techniques. It also helps I have an affinity for Lightning rather than earth, but it can still be a hassle. Most of my training is mental over physical, but my body can withstand a lot too. I just learned as it went on…and well it's hard to explain now that I am trying to."

Naruto finished, looking up at her teammates. She was a little surprised to find them staring at her solemnly, Yarui's expression especially dark.

Yarui grit his teeth and let out a harsh breath, channeling his anger into something less dangerous. He opened his blue eyes and offered a shaky smile at his teammate.

"I see. Thanks for answering truthfully. Just know, I'm not gonna let something like that happen to you again."

Naruto blinked at the boy in shock, opening her mouth to push back his declaration and tell him to handle himself, only to be interrupted by Darui.

"He's right. _We_ won't let anyone touch you again."

Following their declarations, Shisui reached out and in a surprising gesture, grabbed her hand. His dark eyes met hers and he swore just the same.

"We are teammates. None of us will go through that ever, again or otherwise."

Naruto's eyes burned and she laughed lightly at the three, choking back emotions as she tried not to lose herself in the abrupt happiness she felt.

Only Deidara's team had ever told her something like that, and even then she had learned not to take them seriously. They couldn't always watch her back and there had been times before when they had put someone before her. Still, something about the three genin before her made her want to believe them more than she had Hatori or Ikate.

"Alright, but only if I get to promise the same for you guys. I'm not going to let you be dragged into something like that either."

They all shared a heartfelt silence that stretched past their meal and well into the fading light of dusk.

The three walked through the village, taking their time on their way back to their homes. Darui and Shisui were the first to leave, heading off in the opposite direction of Yarui and Naruto when they had reached the village center.

Yarui and Naruto were left to walk alone, Naruto balancing her head on her hands as she tended to do. Yarui was far more casual, his eyes drifting across the beautifully lit village.

The red and yellow lanterns casted colorful shadows across the towering buildings made entirely of stone, sending pillars of light into the sky amidst the stone spires. Lanterns hung from ribbon strung across multiple spires capping the tops of buildings.

"It's nice to be back in Iwa." Naruto murmured softly, stopping to look over the lights with greater appreciation. She enjoyed traveling across the Elemental Nations and discovering new cultures, but nothing topped the beauty of her home. There was just something about Iwagakure and the smell of earth that permeated the air that made her feel safe and _whole_.

"I know what you mean." Yarui commented softly, his hands drifting from his pockets as he lifted one to the sky.

Lightning raced across his arm and sparked at the tips of his fingers, shocking Naruto momentarily.

Yarui chuckled gently and dropped his hand.

"I can't use it well, but it's my affinity. I thought I'd let you know…since we are teammates. Darui and Shisui know, but no one else does. It's a little odd here in Iwa, so I like to keep it as a trump card. I prefer Taijutsu to Ninjutsu, but that doesn't mean I won't learn some techniques to protect my comrades with." Yarui offered her, opening up.

Naruto's lips softened into a smile and she reached out to grab Yarui's shoulder. She squeezed and smiled at him brightly.

"Thanks for sharing. I'll have to help you find some jutsu. I'll find mine first, and we can go from there." Yarui nodded at her, the two teammates allowing the silence to grow once more as the stars rose above the village hidden in stone.

I~~~~I

Naruto was already up and back to training by the time her teammates had arrived at their meeting spot. She was going through several cooldown stretches after running, and was preparing to move onto her Taijutsu Katas.

The boys joined in and did their laps while she was running through her form, Yarui joining her while Darui and Shisui worked on their weapons and aim.

Roshi walked up on them just as Yarui and Naruto decided to spar and Darui and Shisui engaged in a small match with blades.

The Jinchuuriki observed the two matches with calculating eyes, paying a bit more attention to Shisui and Naruto as they both stumbled a bit. He had been informed that Shisui had taken a few injuries of his own on the mission in Wave, and as such he wasn't quite healed.

That was fine, since Roshi planned for them to do more conditioning than anything else. The training would be different from what the Genin were used to, but as it was, Roshi figured they could only improve by learning what he was going to teach them.

"Bring it in." Roshi called out, his gruff tone ceasing the fighting immediately. Shisui and Darui stopped mid-swing of their blades, while Naruto and Yarui had pulled both of their strikes back so as not to injure the other. The four all hurried toward him, already understanding the need to hustle when it came to getting instruction from Roshi.

Looking over the faces of his students, Roshi debated his choices. He nodded sharply and gestured to the south exit of the village, a place that had far more spires racing to the skies than any other part around the village.

"Head toward the south end of the village. Go at moderate pace and make sure to stay in formation." Roshi ordered, the Genin shifting into the formation he had hinted to out of habit. Naruto stood at the front, Shisui to her right, Yarui to her left, and Darui at the back. They shot toward the south end of the village, not bothering to wait for Roshi to follow.

Roshi watched them go before starting his way after them.

I~~~~I

Naruto dropped down at the base of the towering spires Iwa was known for, her teammates dropping down beside her. Unsurprisingly, Roshi was there waiting for them. He didn't look worn or tired, and in fact seemed to have never even rushed half-way across the village in the first place. The Genin were only a little worn, but even they could only admire their Sensei's stamina.

"Alright, for today and the next couple of days, we are going to work on your chakra control and on your observation." Roshi told the Genin, reaching behind him.

He threw four tiles at the Genin, each one catching their own. They all stared at him, awaiting further instruction.

"I want you to use chakra to climb to the top of those pillars. Once there, you will place the tile at the top and rest on it. If you cannot remain on their longer than a few seconds…well you'll fall and have to restart. I'm also not going to catch you, so if you plummet you better hope your teammates notice." Roshi smirked by the end of his instructions, observing the expressions on his Genin.

He had instilled discipline in his past students, and he wouldn't change that practice now. Naruto understood why he held patience in such high esteem, and the three boys were starting to get its importance. Patience could be the difference between life and death for a shinobi.

"Go ahead and begin." Roshi ordered.

Immediately, the four Genin shot to four pillars relatively close together. They all started running up the bases and headed to the sharp points stretching high into the sky, their tils held firmly in their grasps.

Roshi watched the four go, his eyes hard despite the fondness building in them. He knew that this team was going to be harder than any other, but he also knew that it would be worth it. There was no way that his team would lose themselves in a way many Nin had in the past. They would strive, they would push and survive. Nothing would hold them back. They would be great, even if they had to shatter the meaning of the word to do so.

Roshi sighed and turned away from the Genin, walking toward the denser areas of stone so he could train himself. He had to make sure he kept up his conditioning on his body, otherwise he wouldn't be strong enough to protect his village or his team from dangers like those they had faced in Wave. No matter their skill, the four weren't ready to face the likes of Hatake Kakashi even when working together.

"S-shit!" Yarui's cry echoed first, followed by another more feminine one.

They would be at it for a while.

I~~~~I

Naruto hissed curses to Roshi under her breath, gripping her sore side as a spark of pain raced up her ribs.

"Stupid Monkey, causing trouble like that and putting us through hell-training. Yeah, totally just sit on giant towering spires, that'll help!" Naruto muttered under her breath, straightening her back with another hiss of pain.

The rest of her team had already gone home, while she was heading toward the Tsuchikage's Tower in order to be briefed. She had been summoned earlier, though the messenger had detailed the time as a couple minutes from then, leaving Naruto to take her time on the way up.

"Still, focusing your chakra to the point in order to keep the board steady doesn't work…there's not enough contact, so that means we'll have to stay completely still in order to maintain the balance of the tile on the spire…damn this is going to take a while." The Heiress grumbled, trying to work through the problem in her head.

Roshi tended to give assignments like this for them to piece through every once in a while. He said it kept their minds sharp, and considering just how hard this stupid exercise was, Naruto agreed.

Looking up, Naruto let out a loose breath, gazing at the foreboding building that resided at the top of the biggest spire in the village. Her eyes shifted behind her and she took in the view of her village in its entirety, a smile working its way over her lips.

She really loved Iwa.

Shaking her head and channeling her anger away into something useful, like energy and concentration, Naruto entered the tower and went up the steps and down the hall to the Tsuchikage's office.

The hall opened up into a sitting room, the secretary sitting at a desk near the large double-doors of her Kage's office waving her in without a thought.

Naruto had practically lived in the Tsuchikage's office after she turned seven. The secretary's that had been stationed inside knew her well and always welcomed her.

Naruto nodded in thanks to the woman and knocked on the door.

She could feel two other signatures in the room, which meant that she wasn't here casually. She straitened and waited for Oniki's call of "Enter" before she opened the door and stepped inside.

The two other signatures turned out to be two men baring headbands that were not of Iwa.

"Hosha-San, thank you for coming." Oniki spoke up formally, allowing Naruto time to prepare.

She stepped up before the Tsuchikage's desk, dropping down into a formal kneel, one fist resting on the ground next to one knee, while the other knee was bent and the other hand was crossed over her chest.

"Hai, Tsuchikage-Sama." The Kunoichi greeted, her eyes raising to meet those of her leader.

"Stand, we have a lot of business to attend to." Her Kage ordered.

Naruto rose, glancing across the room at the two Jonin staring at her.

One of them, a raven, looked to be struggling to contain some form of emotion. Shock, perhaps? Was seeing her take a position under her Kage like she had truly that surprising? Naruto didn't quite know. She hadn't looked into how Shinobi were supposed to act to the leaders of other villages too much. She had enough information to not end up dying form a political misshap, but that was all.

"Hosha, meet Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba of Konoha. They are here regarding the Chunin Exams and your last run in with one of their Shinobi. Shiranui-San, Yamashiro-San, please meet Iwatoshi Hosha."

Genma stepped forward, offering his hand to Hosha.

Not wanting to be rude, Hosha took the hand and shook it loosely, blinking as the man tilted his head at her.

"That poison you designed was quite ingenious. I have never seen a serum that could be deactivated by a Chakra Nature."

Hosha stiffened for a moment, before a smirk crawled along her lips, turning her smile dangerous. She tilted her head back at the man, chuckling lowly.

"I've never quite met someone able to hold off its effects as long as your shinobi did. I was impressed."

The Tsuchikage withheld an aggrieved sigh, noting to himself how he would need sake after this, while the Aoba character looked to be withholding surprise again.

Naruto would be the death of him.

I~~~~I

 **And there it is. I figured the direction that this fic needed to go in right now, and following this there should be the next Arc, which will be the Chunin Exams. I have an idea for how to change up the Exams, if only slightly. Thanks for reading!**

 **Sasuke-12**

 **Itachi-7**

 **Ikate-4**

 **Gaara-4**

 **Hatori-1**

 **Shikamaru-1**


	14. Ksi

"What did you just say?!" Jiraiya tried not to freak out as he glanced between the two ninja before him.

Kakashi looked tired and rather put out over their meeting. His face was set into a serious grimace that offset his rather fine features. Beside the man, Yamato stood with a similar expression.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but it is the truth. The girl, Iwatoshi Hosha, is a Jinchuuriki. Somehow Iwagakure managed to obtain another Tailed Beast without anyone finding out. Her Sensei also happens to be the Four-Tailed Monkey, Roshi of the Lava Style." Yamato repeated his earlier words.

He didn't want to believe the information either, but the facts still stood. Hosha was a danger, an unprecedented one that hadn't been accounted for. The fact Iwa had scrounged up another Bijuu without any other nation noticing was also troubling.

In fact, when one looked at the facts, the truth appeared to be worse than what Yamato had originally believed.

"Are you certain? Could you have mistaken her power for something else?! As it stands, almost all of the Bijuu are accounted for. Suna holds the Ichibi, Kumo holds the Nibi and the Hachibi, Kiri holds the Sanbi and the Rokubi, Taki holds the Sichibi, and Iwa holds the Yonbi and the Gobi. Konoha holds the Kyuubi, or at least…" Jiraiya trailed off, his eyes darkening.

Kakashi stiffened when the topic changed, his eyes shifting away as his fists clenched.

Yamato glanced between the two men as the atmosphere around them changed. He hadn't wanted to bring the topic to _this_ , but he needed to if they were going to be level headed in their discussion and check all the bases.

"We haven't controlled the Kyuubi since Kushina-Sama gave birth. The Kyuubi was sealed inside of Naruto, and sadly…she perished that night. It is possible that the Kyuubi reformed and Iwa took the opportunity to seal it within one of their own." Yamato spoke softly, his voice edging on regretful.

Kakashi's hands clenched further. For all his prowess in masking his emotions, Naruto was a tough subject for him. He was supposed to be her brother, to help raise the girl into a fine woman and Kunoichi should she have wanted it. Instead, Naruto had been taken from all of them without a thought.

Menma had been a blessing after the unfortunate events of his sister's passing, but he hadn't been able to completely erase the hurt. It showed on the faces of everyone around them, especially Kushina and Minato.

They had lost their first child, their first chance at a family. Neither of them had been the same after that had happened.

"Iwa would need someone of strong blood to seal the Kyuubi within. The girl, Hosha, would have to either have Senju or Uzumaki blood in her veins in order to contain the raw force of the Kyuubi. Even then, she is only a little older than Menma. If they had sealed the Kyuubi within her, we would have at least heard about the Biju's reforming process." Jiraiya brought up, his hand raising to scratch his chin as he tried to think.

"There's another thing." Kakashi suddenly spoke.

The two other males looked at him. Kakashi raised his head, his eyes dark.

"When we faced off against her, she told me some things that didn't quite add up. In fact, she knew a lot about the mission several years back where that Iwa Kunoichi, Lady Rida of the Bomber Clan, attacked my team. She knew about the circumstances and that I had killed Lady Rida, but not why. Also, when I was questioning her, the makeup on her face washed off and showed her markings."

Kakashi took a deep breath as she spoke.

"She had whisker marks on her cheeks, Jiraiya-Sama." Kakashi let out gently, his tone shifting into something quietly reserved.

Yamato blinked and tried to think back, remembering the faint marks that had been on the girl's face as she had battled with him. He hadn't paid much mind to them at the time, dismissing them as Clan markings despite the fact her Brother did not bare them. Now that Kakashi mentioned it though, Yamato felt a bit of unease drift through him.

"When Naruto was born, didn't Kushina say that she was born with Whisker marks on her cheeks? The same ones that Menma grew up with for the first few years of his life until they faded away?" Kakashi questioned Jiraiya.

Jiraiya stiffened again and twisted sharply to face Kakashi. His face was drawn into a serious expression that left little to the imagination of the other Shinobi present.

"Are you implying that-?" Jiraiya began, only to be cut off by Kakashi.

"I'm not implying, I'm stating facts. As it stands, that girl shouldn't be able to hold a Bijuu as powerful as the Kyuubi, let alone from birth, without being related to either Kushina or Tsunade. The only one of the two to have had a kid that isn't accounted for is Kushina."

Yamato watched as Jiraiya readied to counter the other silver-haired nin's facts. He could see the direction that the arguing was taking, and he didn't like it.

"Kushina isn't the only Uzumaki! Some other Uzumaki could have settled in Iwa. As it stands, we have no solid proof and drawing assumptions like that could be dangerous-" Jiraiya tried to tell Kakashi.

"You didn't see her, Jiraiya. If there is a chance that Naruto somehow survived, shouldn't we at least-!" Kakashi stepped forward.

Jiraiya stepped right up to Kakashi, meeting him head-on. "You're grasping at straws Kakashi! We need to look at the facts right now, not draw conclusions to something that isn't possible-!"

Yamato bit back a groan and stepped between the two in a sharp movement, preventing the argument from escalating.

"Wait, guys, calm down! Let's look at this objectively! We know the girl has some of _a_ Bijuu's chakra in her and can somewhat access their power. She _may_ , heavy on the may, also have a connection to Naruto. We just need to keep our heads up and look for any more information on the subject, alright? Namikaze-Sama said that she was going to be coming to Konoha for the Chunin Exams with her team, so we can just try and get a blood sample from her then and test it out. If she turns out to not be related, then we haven't lost anything. If she is…well we'll deal with it when we get there."

Yamato placated the two Shinobi, sweat slipping down over his brow as the tension in the air thickened.

Abruptly the tension vanished, leaving Yamato to nearly collapse as his two superiors relaxed the killing intent they had leaked.

"Very well. In the meantime, I'll contact my people in Iwa and gather whatever information I can. Kakashi, you need to keep your ears open for the girl's participation and when we can expect her." Jiraiya ordered, earning a sharp nod from the annoyed male.

Yamato sighed and waited for Jiraiya to leave before he turned to Kakashi.

"Taicho, did you really have to bring that up?! You know that Naruto is a sore spot for him." Yamato scolded his superior, ignoring the glare Kakashi gave him.

"Naruto is a 'sore' spot for all of us Yamato, not just her godfather. If there's even a chance she'd alive, or that part of her lives on, even in the form of the Kyuubi sealed in another kid, then I'll take what I can get…" Kakashi told him, turning away and vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Yamato reached out, intending to grab onto his Taichou, only to grasp air. He gazed at the empty space, sighing heavily as he accepted that the two men would need space in order to get over their petty anger. The two were both passionate, though to different degrees, about their precious people.

Jiraiya had been hurt more than most with the death of the first Namikaze Child, and he showed his pain in the way he had buried himself in his network and cut down on the time spent near woman or alcohol. The Sannin had picked up on his training and had even dragged along his student to the Toads for Sage training in order to distract them both from their loss.

Kakashi hadn't had the luxury of being out of the village. Instead, Kakashi had sunk deeper into ANBU than ever before. He threw himself into his assignments with a reckless abandon that often left his team picking up the pieces of himself that shattered along the way.

Yamato had been one of the people to help him, joined by Itachi, Genma, Raidou, Hayate, and Yugau on their infamous team. Gai had also pitched in, though the man needed their help to find his rival and get him into their challenges in the first place. Genma was often the one to rat Kakashi out since he was of the few that could stand Gai's eccentricities for a decent amount of time.

Yamato withdrew his hand and straightened his back even as he bowed his head. He was beginning to regret his decision to go to Jiraiya rather than Minato. The brunette groaned under his breath.

"I should have just gone to Namikaze-Sama…"

"About what?"

Yamato turned sharply, his eyes catching the three figures walking toward him.

Sashiko stood next to Sai and Ken, her bandaged limbs covered by the loose clothing she had no doubt snatched from either her brother, Shisui or Itachi. The girl looked well for someone still technically on bed rest.

"Well…" Yamato began, glancing at his three students.

He wondered if telling them was a good idea. It couldn't hurt to make them aware since they would be in the next Chunin Exams.

"Taicho?" Sashiko tilted her head to the side as she looked at Yamato.

The light of the sun caught his student's neck, the silvery lightning scars along her neck shining. Despite surviving the poison that the Iwa Kunoichi had nailed her with, Sashiko had been left with several reminders. One of those was the lightning scars that had formed on her skin after the rough shock treatment she had received from the Kunoichi and the damage that had been dealt to her immune system. The girl already wasn't the strongest when it came to immunity, and it'd only get worse the longer she was a Kunoichi.

"Yamato-Taicho?" The girl tried again with a frown.

Yamato steeled himself, gesturing for his students to come closer.

"Ken, set up a barrier. What I'm about to tell you isn't to leave the four of us, understood?"

I~~~~I

Naruto tried not to lose her balance, she really did. Despite her best efforts, however, she still screwed up.

Her hand twitched as she nose wiggled, the pressure building until she sneezed without any remorse.

True to their nature, the three of her teammates all jumped and without another word, the four Genin fell from their positions in unison.

Their shouts echoed as they grabbed onto the sides of their large stone spikes with chakra-enhanced grips, three pairs of eyes narrowed on the one blonde clinging to the top of her rock like it was a lifeline.

"S-Sorry," Naruto told them, reaching with one hand to rub the back of her neck while she gripped the surface of her spike with one hand.

The others did not fail to notice the improvement in the girl's chakra control, which was the worst out of the four of them, but they didn't mention it. Over the past few days, the four had struggled to perform the exercise Roshi had given them. They had all learned at some point to not use their chakra in order to stick to the top and had instead used their abilities as Ninja to stay absolutely still.

The training wasn't coming along quickly, but there was progress. They all had to be patient, but their efforts would pay off sometime.

"Naruto!" Roshi's voice called up to them, guiding their eyes down to their Sensei. The Jinchuuriki was standing at the base of Naruto's spike, his hand resting over his eyes to avoid the sun rising high in the sky.

"Get down here! Shisui, Yarui, and Darui can all take a break. I have to talk to your teammate." Roshi told them, his deep voice booming across the field of spikes.

Naruto glanced at the other three and shrugged at them when they cast her questioning glances. They weren't about to complain, however, and they dropped down from their spots carefully while using their chakra in controlled amounts. They had stopped on the ground in no time without a single scratch, the four took a moment to bask in their accomplishments before Roshi had dragged their Kunoichi teammate away.

"See you guys soon, this shouldn't take long!" Naruto called to the boys, grinning widely as she followed her Sensei away from her Teammates.

Roshi glanced at the girl as she walked alongside him, her arms stretched behind her head in a relaxed pose. She often took the pose when she had joined him for walks after training, though he hadn't seen her do it as much lately. Perhaps it had something to do with the weight of her Clan and her Team pressing down on her near full force or even the way the Tsuchikage was relying on her more than normal, but Naruto was struggling with the stress.

It made Roshi feel like an ass for what he was about to do. Naruto would no doubt hate him and possibly fear him after he was done, but he couldn't just let this slide.

He had kept the information he had learned on the mission to Wave from Oniki, though the old man knew something was up. Back then, after their mission report, Oniki had told him to keep whatever he was debating to tell him a secret until Roshi was certain he wanted the Tsuchikage to know.

The two men didn't always get along since both were more stubborn than bulls, but that didn't mean they couldn't see eye-to-eye. When something came up that involved the village or the people within it, Roshi and Oniki could push aside their differences and look at things in a better light. Naruto happened to be one of the people they would put aside anything to help, even her own opinions of them.

Maybe this wouldn't ruin their relationship, maybe Naruto would understand why Roshi had to do this.

But, either way, no matter what Naruto thought of him at the end of this, Roshi had to know the truth.

"So, where are we going Sensei?" Naruto asked him, her eyes shifting to him as the easy grin on her features grew again.

"To meet an old friend," Roshi told her, turning to look ahead. They had wandered past the spike forest and were heading further from the village now.

Roshi already had acquired permission from Oniki to seek _him_ out, so nothing more stood in his way.

"Oh? I thought we'd be back soon…I guess I shouldn't have told them that then, they might worry." Naruto muttered, thinking about what she had told her teammates. Her expression turned mulish, annoyance creeping into her tone.

"Why didn't you tell me anything? You could have corrected me, Sensei." Naruto told him with a pout.

Roshi kept his gaze forward and failed to reply to the girl verbally.

Naruto's eyebrows raised and she sighed, deciding to remain quiet as they walked along the path leading from the village. She hadn't been out this way for a while, several months in fact. She wasn't sure why Roshi wanted to go out in the middle of nowhere, but she trusted her Sensei. He wouldn't put her in danger or hurt her.

The two of them continued to trek the path in silence, the sun reaching its highest point as they entered a mountainous area.

"Alright." Roshi suddenly spoke up. He drew to a stop, turning finally in order to face Naruto.

Naruto blinked at Roshi, confused for a moment as the Jinchuuriki stared her down.

"Sensei-?" Naruto began, trying to figure out what was going on. As she did, a presence crept up on her.

Only Naruto's hard-trained instincts kept her from being knocked across her skull with the heavy arm of a man towering behind her. She twisted on her heel sharply and turned while drawing a Kunai from her pouch. Her feet landed silently before her Sensei as she looked at the monstrous enemy standing before her.

The man looked down at her through the veil covering his face, his ginormous body blocking the sun's rays from hitting Naruto's face. He was wearing heavy metal armor with a cloth undersuit. His style reminded Naruto vaguely of the Samurai in Tetsu no Kuni, though it was far more strength-oriented than a regimen of even the most daring swordsman. This man meant bad news. Naruto couldn't even see the man's face, due to it being covered by a thick cloth. His head was also obscured by an odd hat with cloth around the inside.

Why would Roshi want her to meet this man? Did he have something to do with the Chunin Exams? Did the Tsuchikage know about this?

Naruto was confused.

"Roshi, is she the one you wanted to test?" The man boomed, his voice far heavier than Roshi's.

"Yeah," Roshi spoke up, startling Naruto from her thoughts. Something bubbled in her chest, an urgent feeling she did not recognize at first.

The blonde tensed and in an instant, she was dodging a ball of lava that Roshi had sent at her. The lava grazed her arm, causing her to withhold a scream as the heat seared her skin.

She landed several feet away from the two Shinobi, her hand gently ghosting the burned flesh of her arm. Pain and fear flashed in her eyes as Naruto looked to the two Shinobi, trying not to jump to conclusions as they stood side-by-side. Roshi was comfortable with the man next to him and he did not look apologetic or worried about the fact that he had just burned her.

Why was Roshi attacking her? Roshi _never_ went all out on her. He always made sure she wasn't in danger, especially when he was flinging around lava. Roshi would never attack her without a reason, especially in such a manner that could easily get her killed.

Just what the hell was going on? Who was this other man? Why was Roshi targeting her?!

"Sensei-!" Naruto tried, only to bolt as more lava was flung at her. A grunt left the blond's lips as she pushed her body up into a flip to avoid a boiling mass of water as well. Her eyes were wide with terror as she realized that Roshi wasn't horsing around.

"Shit." Naruto hissed.

Roshi shifted into his own stance, further pushing the fact that he was not kidding.

He was seriously aiming to hurt her.

The other Shinobi had shifted into a dangerous stance, his eyes narrowed on her body. It appeared as though the stranger wasn't going to be taking it easy on her either. The two of them were prepared to fight her to the death.

At this point, that death would more than likely be her own.

Naruto stepped back, reaching into her chakra reserves as she tried to prepare herself. Roshi was out of her league, and judging by his close relations with the man beside him, so was the giant. She was screwed. Unless, of course, she decided to run instead of fight. If she managed to get help…But they were far from Iwa and Naruto had no idea what the hell was going on and who else was in on this mess. She couldn't just stumble into the village and hope for the best. No, she was on her own.

Naruto shifted into her stance and armed her hands with weapons, jumping to the side to dodge a torrent of lava while coming up with a plan. Without a word she tossed the kunai at the two Shinobi, vanishing in a blur of chakra as she used the Shunshin technique that Shisui had taught to her.

Roshi blinked and his eyes snapped to the kunai that now had ignited tags on them. Roshi shouted just as the sky was lit with brilliant colors of flashing light. "Han!"

Naruto bolted amidst the confusion, arming herself with more weapons as she used several more Shunshin to distance herself from her enemies. Her limbs swung around and she pushed chakra through them as she flung them behind her with slight abandon. She didn't care where they landed at this point.

If Roshi was going to take her seriously, then Naruto would return the favor. She had killed allies before in the name of her survival, she would not falter here. Roshi had taught her to push aside her personal alliances when her safety was at stake. When it came to survival, bonds meant nothing.

"Fine, you want to kill me…I can live with that." Naruto grunted as she pushed another round of chakra into her legs, flipping over a branch as an explosion rocked the gathering of rocks behind her.

"Just don't expect to live without regretting your decision."

The blonde stopped abruptly, skidding along the ground as she started to flash through hand signs.

Roshi was not the fastest Shinobi, but he wasn't a slob. The man trained religiously and even with her specialization in that field, Naruto knew she stood no chance to the many years Roshi had on her. He would catch up quickly. His friend more than likely would as well.

"Lightning Style…"

She whispered under her breath, channeling more chakra into her hands as she pulled her palms apart.

"Electromagnetic Pulse," She called out, her voice dragging out into a low hum as her palms came back together with a gentle clap.

The area around her stilled as her chakra pulsed and flooded the stones at her feet and against her back. The trees next to her turned dark as their leaves crinkled up like shriveled prunes. The smell of burning greenery flooded her senses momentarily. The next moment, the scent was pushed aside by a sharp gust of wind that was expelled from Naruto's mouth without a word.

Everything stilled, the faint hum of the electricity dancing below Naruto's feet guiding her into forming the correct signs for her next act.

She would never let anyone catch her, let alone Roshi. The man thought he had her all figured out. He didn't know just how far she would go to ensure her own survival.

Ever since that night in the Bomber Clan compound, Naruto had learned to be fickle in her trust. At the first sign of betrayal, she would run. At the first sight of a knife in the corner or the first discovery of a skeleton in a closet, Naruto would cut all ties.

Her chakra pulsed again and she allowed her shoulders to relax as she closed her eyes.

Roshi and the stranger both dropped down into her field, each of them preparing separate attacks.

She took the moment they used to ready themselves to sort her thoughts before she smirked at the two men and raised her hands into a single seal.

"Fire Style, Heat Wave!"

Naruto opened her eyes, watching as the clearing she had been in exploded into an inferno.

She stood far away from her previous position.

In the instant it took for the fire to contact with her special brand of lightning, Naruto caught the memories of her clone and accepted the pain that came with them. Her vision blurred and Naruto tried to muster the will to curse as she dropped to her knees.

"That was good, but I do know your tricks Gaki." Roshi's voice called out, the singed male walking out of the tree line before her. He was brushing debris from his shoulders casually, his gait calm and controlled.

"Looks like it ends here Gaki. No hard feelings, but it needed to be done. I couldn't keep watching after you like this…" Roshi told her as his eyes raised to look at her.

Naruto tensed as she felt the killing intent she had dreaded surrounding her.

"The chase ends here. I'm going to get rid of you once and for all…I'm going to leave a dent in that Bastard Tsuchikage's plans and then I'm going to get the hell out of Iwa."

Naruto crumbled as the pressure doubled, her breathing coming out in sharp pants. Her head felt fuzzy as she tried to piece together what was going on.

"Sleep well, Hosha," Roshi spoke from above her.

The blond raised her head, the process slow and painful. She was left craning her neck up at her sensei, the emotion she had felt earlier stirring up again.

 _Betrayal_ , she realized. She had been betrayed again.

Sadly enough, Naruto wasn't surprised in the least bit.

Red chakra pulsed around Roshi, growing with each passing second.

Fear continued to course through her veins as Naruto tried to keep her head up. She was going to die.

Naruto was going to die. She would cease to exist the moment Roshi deemed her life forfeit. The moment that he saw it fit to end her, she would be gone.

Maybe some people could handle that, maybe someone would be able to accept a death at the hands of their better without fighting back, but Naruto couldn't.

She pushed, fighting to set her palm against the dirt and push her body up as she glared at Roshi with loathing.

" _Traitor_." She snarled with her last breath, the intent around her pulsing in her ears as her vision swam in murky depths.

Roshi's eyes held hers as he raised a hand, drawing lava up from the ground. The heat scorched her skin slightly, setting her skin ablaze.

" **Is this how you die, worm? You bow to my brother, the one who can barely work his way around a tree?! Disappointing…But no less surprising from a human."**

A voice, rough and unexpected, worked its way through Naruto's head and made itself known as she started to lose against the heat around her.

" **Do you want to die mongrel?!"**

Naruto blinked, her arm body bowing under the weight of Roshi's power.

She didn't want to die.

She wouldn't die, not yet.

" **Good choice…"**

The voice rumbled lowly, the heat around her suddenly growing. The fire burned across her limbs, drawing a sharp but soundless scream from Naruto's throat.

No, the fire wasn't around her, it was inside of her.

Red worked over her vision and power pulsed in her veins like nothing ever had before. Anger, hatred, and fear coursed through Naruto as she snarled.

Her hand gripped the dirt and cracked the stone beneath it. Her head snapped up and the blue orbs glared into Roshi's own without remorse.

The lava that had been aimed at her head splashed uselessly on the ground, sizzling as it burned the topsoil.

Naruto appeared behind Roshi, her hand raking across his back like a claw.

Three long gashes tore into the Jinchuurik's back, the blood that had bloomed from the wounds sizzling as it cauterized itself.

Roshi turned and grunted as he was injured, red chakra blooming around him once more. It took the shape of a cloak, meeting Naruto's own chakra without a word.

The chakra around Naruto shifted, claw-like appendages surrounding Naruto's arms without two ears sprouted from the top of her head. Her cheeks sizzled and the makeup used to hide Naruto's birthmarks, three whiskers on each cheek, became more apparent than before.

Roshi allowed his chakra to coat his body with a thicker layer while he kept a close eye on Naruto.

"I see." He spoke softly, his voice edged with sadness.

I~~~~I

Naruto woke to the sound of dripping water.

Her eyes opened, taking in the cave she was in. She didn't quite understand where she was, nor why she was there.

The last thing she remembered was fighting Roshi, and then…nothing.

" **Awake?"** A voice rumbled.

Naruto rose her head, her body relaxed despite the foreign entity revealing itself.

Her eyes met the large red orbs in the darkness, a jolt of fear going through her limbs.

Naruto struggled to form words, her mouth opening and closing several times.

She was lying down in a cavernous area. Stalagmites hung from the ceiling, water dripping from their points onto the ground below.

The ground below her was coated in layers of crystal and moss like the caverns she had once seen in Kumo. The cave smelt faintly of frost and plant life, though nothing but the moss seemed to be alive in the cavern.

In front of her laid the largest structure in the cave. The structure consisted of crystal bars rising up from the ground and falling from the ceiling. The bars glistened with vines that twisted into odd shapes, unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Behind the makeshift prison of crystal lay a large red fox, its eyes larger than her entire body.

If the fox were ever to stand in Iwa, Naruto figured, it would probably be able to cross her village in a single step. The fox was gigantic and rather terrifying.

She was surprised it remained behind the crystal bars. With its size, it should have been able to break through the thin bars of rock without a problem.

"W-What…? K-Kitsune-Sama, what the hell…?" Naruto muttered, staring at the fox in amazed terror.

The Fox grinned widely at her addressing, its jaw opening to reveal to large rows of sharp gleaming teeth.

" **Ah, at least you know your place, meat bag. Perhaps you won't be a waste of a host after all."**

Naruto froze in horror as she registered the being's words.

The Kitsune had called her its _host_.

The only beings as large as the Kitsune that had hosts were-

" **So you are not a mindless monkey either? Good, I suppose. You are indeed what you think."**

Naruto's mouth opened slightly and she tried to stop trembling in the face of the laughing _Kyuubi no Yoko_.

" **You are my Jinchuuriki Host, Iwatoshi Naruto."** The Kyuubi gleefully revealed to her.

Naruto couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

How the hell was she a _Jinchuuriki_?! Just how had this Bijuu been sealed inside of her?!

Her mouth went dry when she recalled one of her earliest memories.

" _Deidara-Ni, why do the kids say I'm not really your sister?"_

" _Who said that, un!? I'll beat them up!"_

" _Deidara-Ni…I'm serious."_

" _Humph. They are just jealous. We took you in when you were a baby, you aren't related to us by blood. Even so, you are my sister, un!"_

She wasn't Deidara's blood relative. She wasn't _really_ his sister. She had merely been adopted by Lady Rida and her Tou-San.

Naruto was a Jinchuuriki.

 _Naruto_ was a _Jinchuuriki._

 _She was a Jinchuuriki._

Naruto never even noticed the tears slipping down her cheeks.

I~~~~I

"You knew."

Naruto accused, her voice soft and defeated.

She was resting in front of a fire, bundled up in a sleeping bag and bandages.

Roshi sat with his friend, Han, opposite to her. The man was gazing at her sadly.

Neither of them had pity in their gazes, but the sadness they both exuded or showed was enough to spring tears at the corners of Naruto's eyes.

"I didn't want to be correct," Roshi told her gently.

Naruto scoffed, turning away in order to hide the tear slipping down her cheek.

"You should have killed me. I-I…I am a danger to you both, to Iwa."

Naruto stiffened when a hand clasped onto her shoulder.

Her head whipped around and she barely stopped herself from trying to attack.

Han crouched behind her, his large hand encompassing her entire shoulder. His face was obscured by a bandana, though Naruto could still see his kind eyes.

"We can help you. You don't have to be afraid of yourself." He told her, his voice coming out in a surprisingly soft tremor.

Naruto stared at the man in shock.

Red chakra stirred under his skin, rising to the surface. The hand on her shoulder grew warm, but the chakra failed to burn her. Instead, the chakra brought up Naruto's own red chakra.

The tears in her eyes fell over her skin again and Naruto looked to Roshi as she tried to hold herself together.

She felt warm, she felt safe.

Could she learn how to make that dangerous chakra feel like this for the people she cherished? Could she learn control like Roshi had since he was a young kid?

Maybe, she could do that with the help of two other Jinchuuriki.

"O-Okay," Naruto spoke gently, reaching up to grab onto Han's much larger hand, her eyes closing, sealing off the rest of her tears from the world as she smiled gently at the two men.

"Okay." She said more firmly.

She could do it.

I~~~~I

"It seems as though the Kyuubi has finally stopped hiding." A soft voice spoke gently.

" **He's done being a coward."** A deeper, but still similar voice, echoed.

"Should we tell Tobi?" The softer voice questioned.

" **It would be in his best interest to know. We need to start gathering the Jinchuuriki right away, preferably before the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki gets too strong."** The deeper voice answered.

The two voices quieted and two eyes gazed down at the three Jinchuuriki gathered around a campfire.

The hunt was about to begin.

I~~~~I

 **Oh my goodness, this took forever. Still, the chapter portrayed what I needed it to. I hope you guys enjoy this since it'll be a while before I can get another one posted. Tennis Season is over for us scrubs(newbies), so I have more time after school. Testing just started, however, so that has filled my schedule for the next two weeks. Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing so far!**


	15. Omicron

"How is meditating supposed to help me out with the Kyuubi? I mean I know it can help with emotional control and chakra control, but I still don't understand fully how that keeps the Kyuubi at bay." Naruto spoke up, gazing up at the two men standing in front of her.

Naruto heard the rushing of the waterfalls behind her and the rustling of the forest life around them as she tried to calm her nerves and relax her shoulders. Her arm still hurt from being burnt and her body was like a giant bruise. Her entire body hurt, making the places that did hurt hard to ignore. She was tired and hungry due to training from early in the morning to late in the afternoon for the past three days straight.

"You have to come in contact with the Kyuubi before you do anything else. If you are not able to contact the Kyuubi then you cannot establish the bond needed. It also helps to know just what you are dealing with at times. Once you enter your mindscape you can also start building precautions against the Kyuubi's influence until you can control its power." Roshi answered her.

His eyes darted over her form, taking in her stance and the way she was trying to relax but failing. Over the years he had trained her in multiple arts, including the ability to conceal her troubles. She was still shaken up from what Han and he had put her through. There wasn't anything that Roshi could do about her distrust right now.

The betrayal and fear the blonde had felt when Roshi had turned on her had been real. She couldn't just push those feelings aside even after Roshi revealed he was testing her. He had come at her with the intent to kill, the man who had situated himself in the place of her father had tried to kill her. The thought gave her pause and made bile rise in her throat.

"Could you leave…I can't relax with you peering over my shoulder like that." She spoke up, carefully not opening her eyes so she didn't have to meet her Sensei's gaze. Naruto had been avoiding looking at him since the training had begun because she knew that she would find the hurt her actions were causing residing deep in his brown eyes. She couldn't help her instincts, however, and she would continue to avoid him until she felt comfortable in his presence again.

A deep sigh spread over the silence, the sound of sandals shuffling away alerting her that her Sensei had reluctantly followed her request.

Reaching out, she couldn't find him anywhere close by.

Naruto relaxed, her shoulders trembling as the muscles relaxed. Her eyes opened as she hunched over, dragging in a sharp breath. She forced herself to breathe past the panic she had been hiding, before closing her eyes and trying again.

She had to at least try and do what Roshi had told her to. If she could talk to the Kyuubi then she could help Iwa, and maybe even help Roshi.

Naruto worked her way through several more calming breaths until all she could hear and focus on were the colors swirling behind her closed eyes. She blocked out the white noise of nature and pushed away from the feelings surrounding her body. Instead, she focused on delving deeper into her head.

The pain faded away and her head swam as her eyes snapped open. She felt wind rush by her face and nearly screamed when she dropped from the sky, falling past hundreds of spires spearing the heavens. The sky was dark blue like the night, and lanterns drifted on strings stretching from one peak to another.

Cool wetness basked Naruto's body as she plunged into bright blue waters, her eyes wide and terrified.

She didn't know what had happened, but whatever it was, it vanished when a hand pressed to her shoulder and her eyes opened again, only this time to the forest clearing she had settled in with Roshi.

The large Jinchuuriki, Han, was crouched before her with his hands on her shoulders. His eyes showed worry, and though Naruto couldn't see the fullness of his face, she knew he was getting over the shock.

"What happened?" The large man questioned her gently, his eyes softening as his hands dropped from her shoulders.

Naruto tried to get her mouth to work, to tell him what she had seen. It was hard, however, and she failed to even form a single word.

Just how did one explain that their inner world was Iwa's rockscapes on steroids or that she had nearly drowned in water that reminded her of the choking sensation of her emotions? How did she explain that as she looked at the lanterns decorating her mindscape, she had thought of her happiest memories? How did one explain that amidst the light, the darkness was growing?

Naruto didn't know how to put it into words, but the calm look that Han gave her said that he understood, that he knew exactly what she had seen without her saying a word.

Her eyes drifted up and looked to the red blur behind Han. Upon focusing, she noticed that it was Roshi. He had stepped forward and his fist was clenched as he looked at her with a reigned in expression. No doubt, he didn't quite know what to do with himself.

"I-I need to do it again," Naruto told him, her eyes firming as she strengthened her resolve.

I~~~~I

Shisui looked up at the sky, his gaze shifting through the clouds. He had always loved Iwa for its bright, cloudless skies, but today he was grateful the sky wasn't empty. Naruto had vanished not long ago with their Sensei, though the Tsuchikage had informed them that they needn't worry about her wellbeing. The Tsuchikage had looked troubled when he told them this, however, which led to doubts in Shisui's mind.

Yarui and Darui were still training to master that technique that Roshi-Sensei had shown them, but Shisui was finished with it only a day ago. He had more training than the others on focusing his chakra to a single point, and surprisingly enough he wasn't the one with the most chakra. His control was far greater than Darui's, who had almost double his reserves, which helped with his Jutsu. Naruto had nearly quadruple Darui's reserves from what he had seen, but she had almost no control. Yarui was the fine line in the middle of the spectrum.

Shisui slowly sat up, sighing as he thought about all that had happened the past week. After arriving back in Iwa, the three of them had bonded more than before. The moments in their training for the few days they had left them with more knowledge than what others would realize. And now, after all of that bonding and all of the moments where Shisui could look back on fondly, Naruto had up and vanished with their Sensei and left them to hear from the Tsuchikage that not only would they be in the Chunin Exams, but that they would be going without Naruto on their team and with a different Sensei.

Closing his eyes, Shisui thought back to their introduction to Kurotsuchi, the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. She was odd, and she didn't get along with Deidara at all. She was good friends with Iwashi however, and she didn't mind Hatori. She also knew the Lava Style like Roshi, but for different reasons than being a Jinchuuriki.

Shisui still didn't like her. He preferred Roshi's forward approach to training, rather than Kurotsuchi's observations and deductions. Roshi pushed them through exercises, no matter their current level, and upped the ante wherever he needed to.

"Ni-San!", "Aniki!" Two voices called to him. His eyes opened in time to view twin blurs of black that tackled him back to the ground.

Two heads poke up out of their rather large and billowy robes, the two kids smirking at him.

"We found you!" They shouted in unison, their bright faces pressing together as their multi-colored eyes gazed into his brown ones.

"Daiki, Enmei, what are you doing out of the academy?" Shisui questioned the two, raising a single brow at his younger brothers.

The twins looked to one another, having a silent conversation through gazes alone. Many people found this act terrifying since they both seemed to understand one another perfectly, but Shisui found it endearing that the two knew each other so well. They would be devastating as shinobi, but the two had chosen a less traveled route in Iwa.

"Seiichi-Ni had a mission and today was supposed to be a show-day anyways," Enmei tells Shisui, his mainly green eyes giving away his identity.

Daiki, the one with swirling eyes with more brown than green, nodded at him. "They let us go since we weren't able to practice the newest technique without him there to observe. It kinda sucks since we got it down!"

The child bragged, his eyes sparkling with mischief and pride as he looked up at Shisui.

Sighing, Shisui sat up and ruffled the twins' hair and smiled at them both gently. "I'm sure you did."

The two looked up at him from where they were piled on his lap. They both had black hair like his own, though it was a shade lighter. Their eyes were mixed with colors of green and brown, though they both had different prominent colors. Their hair fell over their faces still sporting baby fat, and they both wore twin pendants of medics in training and had on rather bulky black robes that showed their status as trainees as well.

"How is your training going?" Shisui asked the two, reaching to brush down the spikes their hair sported. Grains of dirt met his fingers, indicating the two had been roughhousing recently. There weren't dirt smudges on their robes, however, so they had at least listened to Seiichi and kept them clean.

"We learned how to amputate a leg, and then Seiichi-Ni showed us how to cauterize a wound with chakra! It was really cool." Daiki spoke with a large grin. He had always been the one morbidly fascinated with taking the body apart and putting it back together.

Enmei grinned and spoke up next, his eyes sparkling with eagerness. "Yup, and then he showed us how to remove poison and counter it! He said that I am almost at the point where I need a specialized teacher!"

Enmei was fascinated with poisons, so much so that the boy rather reminded him of his teammate. Or, Shisui supposed, Naruto reminded him of his little brother with her ability to utilize poisons and implement them into her natural style as well as theirs. She had dragged Darui down that road and the boy was still trying to find a way to make her _bone eroding serum_ more _potent_.

Shisui still feared what the two could come up with if they ever met his little brother.

Then again, if Enmei needed a teacher, Naruto was one of the better candidates. Otherwise, it would be a priestess or a kunoichi, and not many practiced the art of assassination in Iwa. Naruto was of the few, along with Shisui's older brother Seiichi, and Naruto's mother, Lady Rida of the Bomber Clan. Lady Rida was infamous across the elemental nations for her poisons, nearly as much as Lady Chiyo of the Sand and Lady Tsunade of the Leaf.

"Hey, Enmei, how would you like to meet my teammate Naruto?" Shisui asked his little brother, figuring that it would only mean more bad news for the enemy if Iwa gained another poison specialist, especially one like his little brother. If Daiki learned a little more, that could only help.

The two were both medics in training, and they terrified most adults with their knowledge and willingness to learn. It was always wonderful to watch the faces of elders when they realized that the _heirs_ of their clan were taking on such an _ignoble_ art such as assassination through medicine. They had nearly had heart attacks after finding out what the two would specialize in.

Unlike most clans, Shisui's clan placed the heirship of the clan within the power of the individual children. The birth of twins was extremely rare and their survival even rarer. Taking it as a sign of power, the heads had declared the two Heirs.

It was funny, Shisui had figured at the time, that the position that neither he nor Seiichi had wanted be gifted to their younger brothers.

"Wait, Iwatoshi Naruto!? As in the Bomber Princess?!" Enmei nearly squealed, his voice rising an octave as he pushed on Shisui's chest. The older raven was forced to brace his hands on the ground lest he topple onto his back again.

Shisui chuckled and nodded, his heart feeling lighter. With the aid of his brothers, he would find Naruto in no time at all.

"Let's go grab Yarui and Darui then, they can help us." He spoke up, pushing upwards and rising to his feet. The twins let out surprised yells as they both tumbled over and landed on their backs below him. Shisui gave them a raised brow before he started walking toward the training area he had left his teammates in. The twins scrambled up behind him, rushing over and walking quickly to keep up with his long stride.

"How about a game of ninja tag?" Shisui questioned the two as they headed toward the grounds. The two traded looks and they grinned at him in eagerness.

"You both are it, if you get me before I reach my teammates, then you get a free dinner anywhere you want tonight. If not…Then I get to decide where we eat." Shisui bargained, earning devious looks.

Almost immediately the two lunged for him, earning a light chuckle as Shisui vanished in a shunshin.

He landed on a building several feet ahead. He waved at the two and started running over the rooftops, leading them to follow after him in an effort to get their free dinner.

Shisui sped up as the two scaled the buildings, chakra pulsing under their feet. They had apparently gone through the rock-climbing exercise as well. They were just full of surprises.

Shisui flipped over a large spire, dodging a hand that swept right under his leg. He landed and rolled to the side to avoid another hand aiming for his back. Large areas or hard to maneuver areas were always the best when aiming at a target. The head was the least likely to get hit, but the chest was full of vital areas and it was a large target.

He ducked under another strike and vanished in a blur, replacing himself with some clothes hanging from a laundry line. Another step and he was coming upon the gate leading to his teammates. The twins were hard on his heels, using their small sizes and chakra control to keep up with his enhanced speed.

Shisui figured he'd have to work on their speed again as he ran to the gate without the aid of the Shunshin. He took his time as he crossed through, ducking to avoid a kunai to his head.

The boys were just now getting serious. They knew they would have to up the ante if they hoped for a free dinner of their choosing.

Smirking, Shisui whirled around and knocked several Kunai off course. He flipped back and pushed on his hands to spring up in the air. His hand worked through the kunai that Darui had given him, pre-strung with wire. He launched the kunai to a nearby spire and tugged, sailing away from the twins as they both shot past where he had been, their palms aimed at where his chest had been.

"Woah, Shisui, what are you-" The sound of Yarui's carefree voice entered his range as he flew past the spire the Genin was latched on to.

The twins dashed and flew after him, their blurred figures bounding from spire to spire, springboarding right at Shisui as he drew near to the spire he had launched his kunai at.

He flipped around and landed his feet on the spire, causing the top to crack as he pushed back and dove under his brothers. He rolled to a stop below Yarui's pillar, turning to face the two boys as they both landed in the dirt.

"Nice job you two, but you need to work on your speed," Shisui told them with a pleased look entering his eyes.

Yarui dropped down beside him, looking over at the boys sprawled out panting in the dirt.

"Ninja Tag?" He questioned, earning a nod.

"I wanted to introduce them to Naruto, and then I challenged them to a game of Ninja Tag to get your guys," Shisui informed Yarui, earning a nod from his fellow Raven.

"Good to know. Darui left a while ago to help his sister with something, but I'll help you find Naruto. She ought to be around here somewhere." Yarui stated, not even questioning Shisui's reasoning.

The twins rose, both of them scowling at Shisui momentarily before they heard Yarui agree to help them find the elusive Naruto that Enmei practically idolized.

"So, what do we do first Shisui?" Yarui deferred to his partner, used to taking orders from the other raven or Naruto at this point when Roshi wasn't around.

Shisui hummed, glancing to his brothers and then back at Yarui. "How about where we saw her leave? Roshi-Sensei is the type to go straight ahead rather than create a winding path to confuse the enemy."

Yarui nodded and the two gestured for the twins to catch up as they walked in the direction they had seen their teammate vanish to only days prior.

Neither of them really knew what to expect, other than Roshi training Naruto into the ground.

It was still odd that Roshi had singled her out for training, however, since he had never once done the same thing before. Roshi had always operated on the principle that they should work and train together so that they could help each other identify weaknesses and strengths and share strategies to progress in their training together. Roshi had never once separated them like this. It was…troubling.

Taking a deep breath, Shisui focused on the task at hand and broke into a run. He didn't glance back to tell if the others were following, already knowing that they were steps behind him.

I~~~~I

Naruto looked around her mindscape, walking overtop the water that went deeper than the eye could see.

She had discovered that the upper part of the mindscape was a lot like the spire forest outside of Iwa, only the spires reached past the clouds and deeper than she could ever fathom. The lanterns above water were filled with memories, and not only happy ones. Each string help multiple ones and each lantern held nearly hundreds of moments she had ingrained in her thoughts. The water below her was filled with emotions, thoughts, and actions.

The kunoichi had walked past hundreds of spires of varying heights and discovered that her mindscape was endless. The lanterns always lead her back to where she started, however, as they started to fade away and lessen in number the further she got.

She had yet to find the Kyuubi, but she had a feeling that the Kyuubi was hidden deep under layers of protection. She had a feeling that the Kyuubi resided in the waters under her feet.

Looking down, she couldn't find the bottom of the endless pool. The waters, clearing a calm at the top, faded to black deep down.

Sighing deeply, Naruto looked up and wondered if drowning down there would affect her at all. Her mental state was hardly sane, but she didn't want to damage herself any further.

Shaking her head, Naruto made her decision and let go of the chakra holding her up, her legs dropping in the water. Her body even out as she sunk with her back facing the bottom, her hair trailing up after her as she watched the light fade away above her.

Her eyes did not sting and the water did not enter her lungs as she breathed in carefully. Instead, it felt like she was simple above ground.

She twisted around in the water, gazing down into the abyss. She pushed forward, swimming further down.

Her head popped out of the water, and she nearly gasped. Her entire world had flipped, the bottoms of the spires sticking to the ceiling of the cave she had just entered. Upon pulling herself out, Naruto found the waters to be black at the top and grow lighter the further down they went, forming a mirror image at the bottom exactly like what she had just seen.

Rather shaken, Naruto took the moment to calm herself and look around again. She was back in that cave she had woken up in when Roshi had knocked her out. The crystal she had seen before had been covered, leaving a ghastly glow around the edges of the cavern.

" **So you've finally come back, mortal."** A deep rumble echoed, leaving Naruto to look up and gaze at the flooded cave that the Kyuubi resided inside. The crystal bars were still in place and the fox still lay inside of them, the winding seals made of vines glistened with moisture.

In the blink of an eye, the water was gone from the floor and the crystal was left over, gleaming like black quartz mixed with the greenish-jade growing up from the ground.

"Kyuubi-Sama." She spoke softly, her eyes adjusting to the modified space. She stepped forward, continuing until she stood in front of the bars.

The Kyuubi gazed down at her in content, his slit pupils glaring into her soul.

"Do you hate me?" She asked, stepping forward. Her limbs trembled as she stepped directly in front of the bars. If the fox wished to reach through and grab her, he would have no troubles.

The Kyuubi continued to stare at her for several moments. Finally, its mouth opened wide in a large and terrible grin.

" **Hate? I** _ **despise**_ **you. My jailer, my prison. You worthless mortals dared to trap me in this** _ **place**_ **. You can hardly even handle yourself. You have separated the thought of me from yourself, leaving an entire world between."** The Kyuubi sneered at her, his red eyes flashing dangerously.

Naruto sighed, sitting down where she stood.

"Will you tell me your story?" She asked the fox, calmly gazing up at him.

She wasn't afraid. She wouldn't back away.

Naruto completely confused the Kyuubi as he looked her over.

The Kyuubi lunged, it's jaws snapping in front of the girl's face.

Naruto kept staring at him, a flinch working down her body. She did not spring back, however, nor did she try to get away. She remained where she was and said nothing as she waited for him to start speaking.

" **You are a persistent meat bag. Foolish too…but that is to be expected. Leave me, I won't tell you anything."** The Kyuubi snarled and turned, facing away from her and ignoring her presence.

Naruto sighed but remained seated in front of the cage, closing her eyes to meditate as she waited. This would take a while, but she had all the time in the world. Here in her mindscape, time passed as she wished it. Right now, she could remain for years and still come out seconds after she went under. The Kyuubi had no chance against her. She'd just have to wait until he deemed her a nuisance enough to tell her whatever she wanted to get her to leave. That shouldn't take long. Naruto let out a heavy breath and relaxed.

Thus, the hours she would spend waiting for the Kyuubi's reply began then.

I~~~~I

 **Here you go! So sorry that this took forever to publish, I just really didn't know what to do with this chapter. I finally figure it out, so here is the finished product. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I plan on getting out the next update a lot sooner than this one.**

 **Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, you are all amazing!**


	16. Pi

Naruto returned every morning and every night for the next three days. She repeated the same words every time and sat beside the Kyuubi's cage waiting each day for as long as she could make it last. Then she would go back to training or sleeping, and the cycle would repeat. By the third day she had annoyed the Kitsune enough to have it shout at her in the morning, but that proved to have little success when their night came and went in silence.

Naruto came to with the light of the campfire shining on her face and two sets of eyes peering at her from opposite sides.

By now the heiress was used to the treatment. She had spent almost every waking hour with the two men and found out quite a bit. She was still slightly shaken up over the ordeal with Roshi attacking her, but she had moved past avoiding his gaze.

Over the course of the few days she had also gained several more bruises. Her body still ahced, but it was more pleasant than not after healing over. They hadn't made any progress on the Kyuubi, but they had improved her chakra control and helped with her strength.

And on the third day, Shisui and Yarui both dropped into camp. The two of them wouldn't have been too bad, but tagging along with them were Shisui's younger siblings. The little ones had sprung on Naruto without warning, while Shisui and Yarui had dropped in to prevent Han and Roshi from reacting from the ambush. Naruto fought with the two brothers, finding it hard to tell them apart at first, before she grew serious. She used Shunshin and appeared behind both of them, striking quickly enough with her needles to nail them both in their arms. She jumped back then and waited until the poison went through their veins and made both of the boys hit the floor.

"Shisui, why are your little brothers attacking me?" Naruto asked first, her eyes scanning over the downed bodies at her feet. She made sure to use a paralysis, but she knew the boys would have trouble feeling their limbs for a while. That tended to happen when one had a paralysis serum used to take down Jonin pressed directly into their veins.

"They wanted to test themselves, and as it stood, we needed help finding you." Shisui spoke up from where he held Roshi's arm. His eyes scanned over her, taking in her wounds and bruises with a calm yet silently furious gaze. No doubt either she or Roshi would get an earful from the boy over her state after everything settled down. Naruto was not looking forward to that conversation.

"And you came looking for us, why?" She asked, her eyes shifting across his body as she checked him for injuries and the like as well. They were a team, and that meant they looked out for each other at all times.

Shisui gave her a look, which she responded to in kind. Their silent exchange garnered Han's curiosity, while Roshi and Yarui sighed and went to help the twins up and to the campfire.

Deciding that she wouldn't win the argument, Naruto waved Shisui over to the fire. "Come on, you too Yarui. I don't want to repeat myself, so Roshi-Sensei will have to go get Darui." Naruto said as she glanced between the boys. A weight settled on her shoulders, for she knew that as of now, there would be no secrets between her and her teammates. She was trusting them with this information, and she could only hope it wouldn't mean the end of her.

"No need to fetch me, I've been following them." A voice called out, and from the trees Darui dropped down, landing beside Naruto.

Naruto jerked, barely containing her reflex to attack the boy. Her body went stiff and she could see the surprise in the faces of her friends as she willed the instinct down.

"Alright, sit down, let's get this over with." Naruto spoke up, gazing at the three boys. She didn't dare wonder how long Darui had been watching or listening, or about how he had trailed the boys without them noticing. As a sensor, he knew the best way to hide from one, even her.

Their attention was directed to her, and thought her pulse went wild with the looks they gave her and the stress on her shoulders, Naruto knew she couldn't back down from her decision. She only wished she could have spent more time with her friends, because she doubted they would see her the same way after she told them what she was.

"You may already know I was adopted by the Bomber Clan when I was younger…but you don't know that when I was adopted I was adopted only days after I was born. Recently, as in since the Wave Mission, I have discovered that I have something…sealed within me. More accurately…" She trailed off and then steeled herself for the inevitable rejection she would face.

She had seen it with Roshi and Han, though not as extreme as what she had heard of in other villages. She had watched them be used and abused by people only wanting their power, and she wanted no part of it. Her role as heiress was trouble enough, she didn't need to give the people of Iwa another reason to fear her. That night, the night her Clan was killed, she had been the only survivor. People speculated, those in power wondered. She alone had survived, so what was the harm in saying why she had survived?

The Kyuubi was just too much, and Naruto felt everything crumbling around her even as she reformed the earth beneath her feet and bent her future to her will.

"More accurately, I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, one of the nine Bijuu distributed across the Elemental Nations by Senju Hashirama himself." She finally said, getting it all out at once.

Her eyes shifted across her friends and she feared for the change, the shift in their eyes that would show the hatred she readily expressed to Hatake Kakashi. She feared for the look of resentment or even disappointment that she was so often faced with as a rising Heiress and the little sister of such a great Shinobi.

Instead, she was surprised when not only Shisui, but also Yarui and Darui, both surged forward and encased her in a hug.

"Naruto…We're sorry." They all told her, leaving her speechless.

How long had she heard the words, "I'm Sorry"? How often were those words uttered to her with an ulterior motive or as a means to an end? Words uttered to calm her down, to keep her complacent or garner favor for a faction. She had heard those words hundreds of times since her clan was taken from her, and yet never had they brought tears to her eyes or actually felt _real_ like these did.

She shuddered and her body sagged under the weight of her friends, but as she fell she let them circle her and keep her close. She didn't fight, and for once, Naruto felt like she didn't need to.

Her team, the only people to ever say they were sorry without any thought to themselves. She wondered what she did to earn them at all.

I~~~~I

For the longest time, Sashiko had wondered what type of person her father was. She had been born when he was still around, but he had died early on. She had been told who he was, what he had done, and even some of the stories her mother could share before bursting into tears.

That didn't cover the fact that _she_ didn't know him. She had no memory of his face apart from pictures, nor his voice. She had lived without going to eat with him or even without training with him. Instead, she had trained with her brother.

Then, Ichihara had decided to leave. She had been devastated and hurt to the point of feeling betrayal, because Ichihara had always been the strongest one. He had been the one to protect them when their mother couldn't, to teach and train them in the way that no other person could. He understood them on a level that not many did, and he threw all of that away to go traveling across the nations.

Thinking back on her reaction to it, Sashiko knew she had been childish in her anger, but she couldn't find it within herself to regret it.

Gazing down at the grave below her, she still didn't regret it.

She placed the flowers for her father down, sighing heavily as she thought about the last few days. The Chunin Exams were close at hand, and already foreign teams were arriving in Konoha. The Iwa Shinobi had yet to arrive, however, and she was waiting for the moment they did. The girl who had attacked her with merciless and deadly intent was a Jinchuuriki, and might even be her missing godsister.

Sashiko didn't know how to feel about the girl. She had saved her life, but she had also been the reason that she was dying. The girl, Hosha, had gone back and cured her for apparently no reason, and then she had gone to help those on the bridge. She had been terrifying in nature, what with the way she did not care for her enemy nor the blood on her hands. Her movements had been fluid and without remorse.

"Thinking?" A voice called from behind, dragging Sashiko out of her thoughts.

She turned to find Sasuke standing behind her, his hands in his pockets. He was alone for once, without her little brother. Menma must have been training then, since he never seemed to leave the Uchiha's side otherwise.

Smiling, Sashiko greeted Sasuke calmly. "Morning, Sasuke-Kun. What brings you here?" She asked, and in response Sasuke glanced toward the grave.

Sashiko looked back down, gazing at the white lilies on her father's grave. "Ahh, he must be happy then. You don't visit often." She said, stepping back so Sasuke could stand beside her.

They remained silent for a few moments, before Sasuke turned to look at her with a blank gaze.

Sashiko smiled sadly at him and then looked up. "You need to stop reading people so easily. It's not fair." She managed to say before shaking her head.

"The girl, Hosha, do you think we'll run into her in the Chunin Exams?" Sashiko asked Sasuke softly.

Sasuke gazed at her for a few more moments, before he looked away as well. "More than likely. I doubt Iwa would miss an opportunity to show just how strong their Genin are. If we run into her though…I want to take her down first." Sasuke said, his eyes shifting. Sashiko gazed at him in surprise, her eyes widening a fraction. She hadn't thought Sasuke held anything against the girl, but based on the steel in his eyes, she had done something to earn his ire. Did it have to do with her deception? Or maybe the damage she had caused? Sashiko could only wonder.

"Come on, let's go get some food." Sashiko proposed, walking beside Sasuke. The Uchiha sighed and followed alongside her, the two making their way into the village.

"We can discuss what we need to there." Sashiko said, smiling at him gently. Sasuke only shook his head and a soft smirk quirked on his lips as they walked down the cobbled paths.

The village was alive with noise and smells. Market stands were open and civilians littered the streets, buying and selling wares. Several restaurants vocalized their food and other stores showcased products. Shinobi moved along the roof tops and carriages rolled by as they walked. All in all, Sashiko felt it was a normal day in Konoha. She wouldn't have it any differently.

This was her home, and she would do anything to protect it. Despite the hell she had gone through and the fact she had nearly died and was still recovering from that experience, Sashiko couldn't think of anything that would make her choose to do otherwise. She loved Konoha and she would die before she let it fall. She betray even her closest friends at the slightest chance it could save them or the village.

She would even fight Hosha again, knowing she could die, just to keep the village safe.

I~~~~I

It had been a long time since Minato had thought about his daughter. Most days he tended to drown himself in paperwork just so he didn't have to, but today he just couldn't. No matter the fact that he and Kushina had grieved or that they had Menma, he could never forget the small girl he had held in his arms for only seconds before she was taken from him.

Gazing out at the village, Minato felt his body stiffen at the thought of his daughter. She had been beautiful, just like her mother, and he had never once doubted his love for her. He had wanted to raise her, to teach and fight for her. He never got the chance to chase away the boys that would have flocked her, or the chance to watch her smile at him as she pranked the living daylights out of him just like her mother loved to.

He could feel his emotions turning in his gut, and the wave of nausea that followed only made things worse. He wanted that time with Naruto, but he never got it. She had been ripped from him, from them, far too soon.

Turning away from the village, Minato glanced to the photo on his desk. Kushina was pregnant in this one, the first time around, and he was smiling. He didn't smile like that, so full of joy and happiness, anymore. He enjoyed his time with his wife and son, sure, but he never forgot that they were supposed to be a family of four, not three.

"Minato?" A voice questioned from the door. Minato looked up to see his friend Michiko standing with his longtime adviser, Shikaku. They both looked calculative, and Minato was reminded of the fact that they no doubt knew more than they let on.

"Sorry…what was it you needed?" Minato asked, gazing between the two with a forced smile.

They both could see right through him, could see the anger and pain boiling below the surface, but they knew better than to say a single word. Instead they looked at one another before turning to him.

"A letter from Iwa has arrived. The Tsuchikage has stated that his teams should be arriving later on today." Michiko answered, her eyes shifting across his face. She was always freakishly good at reading expressions, and her skill only improved after she met Ichihara.

Shikaku did not bother showing his interest, since he had already figured out what had Minato on edge.

"The Suna teams are already in their Hotels. I checked in with the Kusa, Ame, and Taki teams, and they have settled into other hotels away from each other. The only villages we await are Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and also the nin from Tsukigakure." Shikaku informed Minato.

The Yondaime paused, glancing down at his paperwork.

"Tsuki decided to participate after all? I had thought they wanted to wait for a smaller group." Minato idly spoke, riffling through his papers till he pulled out the file on Tsuki's Ninja.

Tsukigakure was a somewhat new village sponsored by the Land of Rice, or Ta no Kuni, and it had only sprung up a few years earlier. They had slowly grown and forged small trading alliances with nearby villages, though they remained rather small. Minato had extended the invitation to join the Chunin Exams on principle, but he hadn't expected the village to accept. They were probably looking for more experience and jobs rather than to actually promote their ninja, but Minato could be wrong.

Looking over the files on the teams that Tsuki was sending, Minato felt like there might be a chance for Tsuki after all.

He paused when he noticed a file out of place, and setting the one in his hands down, he lifted the picture that had fallen out from his Iwa binder. His eyes widened when he saw the photo of the serious kunoichi staring back at him, her blue eyes glinting with a dangerous, and yet familiar, light.

"Minato?" Michiko asked again, stepping closer to him when he failed to answer her.

Iwatoshi Hosha Naruto, Heiress to the Iwatoshi Clan and one of the few members of Iwagakure's Bomber Faction left over. In fact, she was one of two. She was thirteen years old, only a year older than Menma, and it was stated she should have been promoted long ago. Her mission roster was near spotless, and gazing at the amount of B-Ranks the girl had completed, Minato could see a pattern.

She looked far too familiar, almost like a ghost, and Minato felt he ought to be haunted by her picture alone.

"Minato." Michiko said again, and Minato's head snapped up to find her standing right in front of his desk, her hand on the edge of the girl's profile.

"What's wrong?" She asked, glancing down at the photo.

"It's nothing, distracted is all." Minato lied quickly, pushing the profile down and back into its folder before Michiko could see anything other than the name. Minato quickly stored the files away in his desk as he stepped around her, waving off her concern.

"Well, how about we go and meet these Shinobi? I want to talk with this Iwatoshi Deidara about his team's accommodations after all." Minato said as he walked past Shikaku and Michiko.

His two old friends shared looks behind his back, and though he could sense that they didn't believe him, he didn't care. That girl, Hosha, had looked very much like he had when he was younger. It made Minato wonder. She was a strong kunoichi, one with the Tsuchikage's praises on her roster. He would have to look deeper into the matter, and what better way to do so than to go talk to her older brother and get details regarding their stay in Konoha.

Minato froze as he walked out into the hall, however, when he took in the sight below him. Standing at the bottom of the staircase was a smiling blond and an angry redhead. Ken had a blade to the blonde's throat, and several blades to his own throat. Three boys held weapons to the boy's body, ready to tear into him. The blonde tilted her head, her blue eyes glinting as she waved the three boys off of Ken.

"Sorry about that, I take it you haven't forgiven me for hurting your teammate?" The girl prodded, and when Ken surged forward Minato was ready to lunge, only to find the girl had appeared behind his Shinobi and had her head to the back of his head, a senbon held between two fingers and poised right by his skin.

"You ought to think before you act though. We are guests in Konoha, and as it stands…I have all the rights to take your life for threatening mine." The girl said, her voice dropping an octave before she flashed out of the way. Her three friends, or guards as it seemed, all appeared next to her. Ken remained frozen in front of them, his hands shaking enough for him to drop his blade.

Minato gazed down at the girl, recognizing her instantly. She was the Iwa Kunoichi, Iwatoshi Hosha.

"Ken!" Michiko shouted from behind him, and without him or Shikaku registering it she was down beside the boy and helping him stand straight. His blade was already in her grasp.

"It was a paralysis serum, it'll wear off in a few minutes." Hosha told Michiko, tilting her head in a calculating manner. Minato was struck by just how…familiar the gesture was. Michiko raised her head to give Hosha a look as she helped Ken up by pulling his arm around her shoulder.

"You should know better than to attack a Shinobi on foreign soil, Kunoichi." Michiko spoke, her voice dropping an octave. Minato continued down the steps and called out in order to draw attention to himself, knowing that if things continued the way they were going then someone was going to end up hurt or killed.

"Michiko, stand down. Iwatoshi Hosha, I apologize for Doten-Shi's reaction, though I'm sure you can understand why he reacted that way. Even so, I ask that you all put your weapons away before my guard decide to reciprocate your actions." Minato greeted the group. Iwatoshi turned sharply to him and he could feel her chakra surge slightly, as though she had been startled by his approach, before she met his eyes. Her blue orbs matched his, and something cut through him as she inclined her head respectfully.

"I apologize Yondaime-Sama. We did not mean to cause a ruckus. My teammates are just protective of me and they reacted without thinking. It will not happen again." She said and nodded to him. Minato nodded back, keeping his arms behind his back as an easy-going smile spread over his lips.

"Of course, Iwatoshi-San. Welcome to Konoha." Minato says with a smile.

I~~~~I

 **This took way too long. I apologize, but I was super busy this summer and when I wasn't I couldn't write much. With school starting I'm more organized, but I don't have a lot of time outside of school. I'm in my third year now and I have a couple duties, as well as college courses, but hopefully I'll be able to update at least monthly. Thank you all for the amazing replies and for being so patient with me, I love reading your comments and adding them into my thoughts so I can expand on them.**


	17. Rho

Naruto wasn't sure of what she was supposed to think about Konoha. Their arrival had been rocky, and checking in to Konoha's main office had not been simple. On their very first day, they had already met the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato himself. The first day had been filled with surprises and a lot of paperwork that led to a sleepless night in unfamiliar territory. She had been on edge all night with her teammates huddled by her, the four falling asleep planning during the night for their next couple of days until the Chunin Exams started.

"Naruto?" Yarui questioned from beside her, noticing how she spaced out as they milled around the village. They had gone early in the morning to use the training grounds that the Hokage had given them before they all entered the shopping district to seek out somewhere to eat around lunch. They had no idea what they were going to do now that they had so much free time, and they didn't want to train all the time because they knew that they only had so much privacy. As it stood, they only went to do their morning exercises and go for a run around the village. They would have worked on their pillar training, but Naruto and Darui had both felt someone nearby.

The four shinobi were on edge, though they tried not to show it as they looked around. Naruto especially wanted to hide her discomfort in the village of their sworn enemies as she avoided the odd looks multiple villagers sent them. It had been years since Iwa had even been on speaking terms with Konoha, and only Naruto nearly killing one of their own Nin before deciding she was worth keeping alive had changed that.

"Naruto," Shisui spoke from beside her, and Naruto paused to glance at her friend. She cast him a bright smile as she pointed ahead. "Let's go eat over there!" She said rather loudly, drawing several looks before they were dismissed by the growing crowds. The morning had broken into the afternoon as people searched out places to dine and enjoy their meals either alone or with company. Naruto, in particular, had finally found somewhere small they could all go, and it happened to be a food stand she had been looking for since she entered Fire Country.

"Ramen, Hosha-Chan?" Darui asked her with a smile. He flanked them, the three boys holding a loose formation around her that warned any who wished harm on them to back off. They had maintained their protective outlook since they left Iwagakure, and Naruto wasn't sure they would stop even after she was entered into the Exams under a different team.

"Yup!" Naruto called out and started walking briskly toward the newly spotted stand with red and white banners. She slipped inside without a word, her friends following behind. The inside of the stand was mostly empty, with only one person inside. The patron was a beautiful redhead who was talking animatedly with the shop owner about something, more than likely Shinobi related going by her attire. She was wearing the same green flack jacket as all the other Chunin and higher Nin in Konoha, and her hair was done up into a long pony-tail using her headband. Naruto took note of the katana resting on the woman's back before she chose a seat a few own from the woman.

"Ah, hello there. Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, what can I get you?" The chef spoke up as he turned toward the group, addressing Naruto when he took note of her position ahead of the others.

"Hmm, how about your house special?" Naruto nodded to the man and asked as she sat down. Shisui sat to her right, separating her and the Kunoichi, while the other two boys sat to her left.

"I'll have your Soba with Miso and Eggplant," Shisui spoke next, inclining his head respectfully to the chef.

Darui replied after, smiling shyly and quietly asking for some Miso Ramen. Yarui followed after, loudly proclaiming he wanted the Beef Ramen with extra toppings.

"Alright, that'll be right up." The Chef said and turned to fill out the order. The Kunoichi sitting beside them glanced over, her eyes peering at all of them quizzically.

"I take it none of you are from around here?" The woman asked, her violet eyes flickering in amusement as she watched Shisui shift closer to Naruto and the others sharpen their gazes on her.

Naruto rolled her eyes at the boys and smiled at the woman, using the charm she developed over the years as an heiress to respectfully greet the Kunoichi who was pretending to not notice their headbands. "Yes, we are Genin from Iwa here for the Chunin Exams," Naruto said and scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"I have a bit of an obsession with ramen and my teammates were willing to indulge me after training." Naruto haphazardly explained to the woman, leaning forward on the counter as she held head chin in her hands.

"Well, you have good taste! Ichiraku Ramen is the best place to eat in Konoha, and Teuchi makes the best Miso Ramen I've ever had! If you are going to eat anywhere in Konoha, you definitely have to try here." The Kunoichi told them happily and rather energetically. In fact, Naruto's teammates were rather surprised that the woman seemed to have as much, if not more, energy than their blond friend.

"So, what are your names? Mine is Kushina." The Kunoichi spoke, revealing herself partially to the others. Naruto grinned at her and extended a hand to shake the one Kushina held out a moment later.

"I'm Hosha." She said, followed by Shisui.

"Shisui." He said simply as he inclined his head to her, watching the woman carefully.

"I'm Darui," Darui spoke up and waved at the woman, earning a nod and a wave back. Yarui piped up from behind the other three, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Yarui! It's nice to meet you Kushina-San." He says.

Kushina laughed at him and waves him off. "Good to meet you all. I'm a little surprised to see Iwa Genin here." She said and leaned on the counter.

Naruto hummed in agreement, glancing around the room with a small smile. "Yup, we were surprised as well," Naruto said, not wanting to give the woman any information. She knew that the Hokage knew it was there the first time, but she would rather not expose such a weakness so early on.

"Well, good luck because you'll need it," Kushina said, placing some money on the counter as she stood. She swiftly turned and hollered over her shoulder.

"See you Teuchi! Thank's for the food. And you kids, watch out for my son. He'll kick all of you back home." Kushina said with a wink before vanishing out of the stand. She left the team of Iwagakure Shinobi to look at each other in confused silence.

Naruto turned to her teammates and raised a brow at them as she wondered what to think about the strange kunoichi that they had just met. "Did she just…?"

Shisui placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and shook his head, reaching out for the bowl of ramen that had been placed down by Taichi. "Don't bother with it Hosha." He told her and offered the bowl to her with a soft smirk playing on his lips.

"She's wrong anyway." He told her, the other two behind her sharing odd looks with one another. Shisui wasn't one to express himself or be cocky by any means, in fact, the two couldn't recall their friend ever showing a playful interest in their career at all. This was new to them, and the two wondered if it was a good or bad change.

Naruto paused and slowly a grin spread over her lips as well. She was in a foreign village, surrounded by the murderers of her people and her family, but she wasn't alone. She had her teammates and they were going to take the exams by storm. No one would stand a chance against them.

"Of course, I know she is." Naruto reaffirmed her teammate's statement, grinning back at him.

I~~~~I

The day was odd enough already. Sashiko couldn't remember the last time she had a day like this. Her mother hadn't been home when she woke, the twins had been called to a meeting, and Kushina had left shortly after she woke. Sashiko had not been in an empty house since before her brother had left and it unsettled her.

Rather than staying in her house and possibly losing herself to the voices in her head and her growing annoyance, Sashi chose to head out into the world and see what it had to offer. Almost immediately she noticed a shift in the village.

Civilians were traveling together in larger groups and keeping their kids close, more shinobi than normal were running along the rooftops and wandering around. The village was in a state of unease, as though a force was pressing down against its people. It didn't take long for Sashi to find out why.

Straying about the village streets were strange shinobi that Sashiko didn't recognize at first until her eyes drifted to the headbands that they wore. Foreign shinobi from the Land of Wind, more than likely Genin going by stature and the way they held themselves, which meant that the event Sashiko had been waiting for had finally happened. The Chunin Exams was back, and as such, foreign shinobi were everywhere.

Closing her eyes, the Oreshizoku took a moment to calm herself before she started walking again.

She wished that the day hadn't come so soon, it was a horrible reminder after all.

What was it now? One, two? She didn't want to think about it, but the truth of the matter was she knew just how long it had been since he had left her.

Sashiko bit down on her lip and pushed back on the turmoil growing within her chest, picking up her pace as she weaved through the civilians going about their daily business. Her eyes felt heavy and she could swear they were tearing up, but she didn't want to acknowledge the fact she even cared anymore. The thoughts of him were always passing by, brushing past her thoughts and pressing constantly, but she hardly ever allowed them to linger. She couldn't, lest she lose herself to the grief that he had caused her.

She needed a distraction, something else that she could lose herself in before she was drowned in the roaring of her own anger and hate-

"Ah, that was some good ramen! I haven't had stuff like that…well ever!"

A voice, like that of a deadly angle, sounded from ahead of her.

Sashiko's blood went cold and she looked up just as someone stepped out from a stand in front of her. Golden hair fell across the soft features that Sashiko knew could turn feral in an instant. Blue eyes, the same color as the ocean sailors drowned in, turned in her direction. Soon, Sashiko wasn't the only one frozen in place. Staring at her from a mere few feet away was the girl who had nearly taken her life, the very same girl that had made friends with Sasuke and made their Sensei question if-

This was the girl that had held Sashiko's life in her hands and decided to let her live.

This, this was Iwatoshi Hosha.

"Oh, well this is a surprise. Did you heal up from the poison already?" The girl questioned innocently, and Sashiko felt everything click into place. Her eyes narrowed, and she raised a brow at the girl.

"Yeah, it was rather nasty. You ought to keep it to yourself while you're a guest here." Sashiko spoke, her limbs shaking with each word. She tried to control the tremors and a smirk drifted as she pushed back on her emotions for the time being. She did just as Itachi had taught her and filed away the thoughts and the feelings for later when she could afford to go over them. She discarded her humanity for that instance and instead she took the position that was needed in the face of her would-be murderer.

Hosha only smirked back at her and held out a hand.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to do that. And hey, maybe we can start over." She said as her teammates exited the booth behind her.

Sashiko gave the three a cursory nod and took Hosha's hand, gripping it as she smiled with teeth. "Sure, I'm alright with that. I'm Oreshizoku Sashiko, you?"

Hosha hummed, seemingly accepting her actions as she gripped back.

"Iwatoshi Hosha. It's nice to finally put a name to the face." The girl said, and a shiver went down Sashiko's back.

The girl relished the feeling at that moment, her blood pumping and her heart pounding. She could feel her pulse in her throat and she could hear the blood rushing through her ears even as she pulled away from her former enemy.

This was what she needed. A distraction, a challenge. She needed something to focus on, and fate had provided it. She had wondered when she would see the girl again, and when she did…She wanted to know why exactly Hosha had let her live.

I~~~~I

 **Tadah! This is a short chapter, but I updated considerably sooner than with my other ones, so I would call that an improvement to last time. Thanks for your continued support, you guys are awesome! I'm not tallying the results for the pairings right now, and I am not sure when I will start that up again so sorry about that. I don't have a lot of time and as of now, I am writing this right before I have to go to bed. Thanks for the support again, and I hope you enjoyed this little tidbit!**


	18. Sigma

_Sashiko gave the three a cursory nod and took Hosha's hand, gripping it as she smiled with teeth. "Sure, I'm alright with that. I'm Oreshizoku Sashiko, you?"_

 _Hosha hummed, seemingly accepting her actions as she gripped back._

" _Iwatoshi Hosha. It's nice to finally put a name to the face." The girl said, and a shiver went down Sashiko's back._

 _The girl relished the feeling at that moment, her blood pumping and her heart pounding. She could feel her pulse in her throat and she could hear the blood rushing through her ears even as she pulled away from her former enemy._

 _This was what she needed. A distraction, a challenge. She needed something to focus on, and fate had provided it. She had wondered when she would see the girl again, and when she did…She wanted to know why exactly Hosha had let her live._

I~~~~I

Sashiko gazed at the strange girl that she had accosted. Hosha, the Iwa heiress that had poisoned her and nearly left her to die. In fact, the girl had stopped her heart, only to restart it with her own electrical pulses.

Since their meeting, the two girls had taken to the outskirts where Sashiko was now joining the group at their assigned training area. For the Chunin Exams the foreign teams were gifted their own training grounds and this group had actually been gifted two of them that were very close to where Sashiko knew the Hyuuga Estate was. Perhaps Neji could do some recon for her pertaining to the Iwa team, since he was so close by.

"So, did you want to fight or were you just interested in tailing us?" Hosha spoke up from ahead of Sashiko.

The Oreshizoku was taken aback as she thought about her earlier outlook, before she nodded and firmed her resolve. The other Shinobi, the Iwa Shinobi that she had heard about from Itachi and Shisui, all eyed her warily. They were very protective of their blonde friend, and if Sashiko was reading the air right, that other Shisui character was even more protective than the others.

"I want to spar with you. This time I won't use my Sharingan, I won't need it." She said as she gazed in Hosha's direction with a firm resolve. The blonde gave her a smirk in return and shifted into a stance as she prepared for the fight ahead.

"Alright. Shisui, proctor. Darui and Yarui, watch over from the sidelines. And since I don't want to deal with legal repercussions, how about first blood?" Hosha ordered her teammates, who all shifted into position while she glanced back to Sashiko to confirm the setting.

"Yeah, I can work with that." Sashiko told her and hunkered down as she readied her chakra. She wanted to get a taste of what her and her teammates missed the first time around, especially since she knew that the Iwa Shinobi would be some of their worst competitors in the exams.

Hosha knew she had to play this carefully. She also knew that none of her teammates approved of this match but she couldn't really bring herself to care. She had wanted to actually fight Sashiko ever since she learned how well the girl held out to her poison. It would be a bonus if the girl gave away some of her skills so that her teammates could use that to their advantage, but the problem lied in the fact that Sashiko could also do that to her.

She had to be sure to not use any techniques the girl might not have heard of. And she couldn't use her poison or explosives in this current setting, nor would she dare when they were just doing a _friendly_ spar inside of Konoha. That left her weapons, some of her less _destructive_ Jutsu, and an array of physical attacks.

She had this, she knew she did. It was just a matter of pulling it all off in a flashy enough way to satisfy her opponent while also getting what she wanted out of this ordeal. She didn't have to win, she just had to get what she wanted. That was all.

I~~~~I

The feeling of regret was a strong one. When it came down to it, Jiraiya hadn't wanted to think that Hosha was still alive. All those years ago, 13 or 14 by now, he hadn't wanted to think of his little Goddaughter as anything but gone for good because needlessly hoping only made his chest ache more.

Now, however, staring down at the little girl who was fighting Sashiko, he couldn't help but feel that earlier hope suddenly bloom to life as he watched this young blonde Kunoichi take down Sashiko and be assaulted from multiple angles by needles spawned out of Sashiko's Blood Jutsu.

The way that Hosha worked astounded him. He was used to Kunoichi using underhanded techniques, but never in such a profound and obvious manner that spun right back around to being sneaky. She would show her hand and then show several more, making you question what she was doing in the first place. Not to mention her penchant for just narrowly escaping danger.

The girl both terrified him and brought out his inner child, all because she reminded him not only of himself, but also of Minato. Minato, the Fourth Hokage and the man who had become like a son to him. Minato, the father of Menma, and the man who had stood against the Nine-Tailed Fox and lived. All of these factors and yet the most important one was the little girl he had helped bring into the world, a girl he had named Naruto and a girl who Jiraiya was almost certain stood in front of him.

He hadn't wanted to believe it, but the red chakra that ran through her veins, pulsing underneath her skin and forming around her stomach in the area of where he knew Minato placed the seal…This girl had to be Naruto.

And yet, he didn't want to hope so much, to hold so tightly to something that might not even me true. He had to make sure, and that meant testing the girl's blood against Minato's and Kushina's. That also meant getting a sample, and since Sashiko was already in on the whole situation, Jiraiya was going to take advantage.

Using a thin sliver of Wind Chakra, he sent a message to the girl, watching as her eyes brightened and she flashed a quick hand sign amidst her others for her Jutsu, telling him she heard it.

The next few moments continued at the same pace. Hosha would use a Jutsu, Sashiko would counter and then lunge forward. The two would exchange blows before switching to weapons or long-distance combat.

Finally, Sashiko ducked and twisted, using a move her brother had taught her to shift through her blood chakra and appear behind the Hosha girl. Her blade was raised and without a warning struck.

I~~~~I

Hosha felt the wind shift and knew the moment that Sashiko disappeared from in front of her that she had been bested. She felt a cut across her cheek and warm fluid dripped down her cheek. Her eyes shifted behind her to the girl who had cut her, finding Sashiko smiling at her as she withdrew her blade.

"That was a good fight, Hosha." Sashiko said as she held out her hand, or two fingers from her hand, and gestured for Hosha to do the same.

"This is what we do in Konoha after a match. It's to show comradery, or in this case, equal footing." She stated, and Hosha smirked back at the girl as she turned and copied the girl's movement.

Their fingers entwined and Hosha felt a small shock along her skin, likely from Sashiko's stronger Lightning Alignment, before they pulled back.

"Well, that was good, but I need to head out now. Thanks for the match, maybe we can do that again in the Chunin Exams." Sashiko told her before she was bounding away, quick footed and light on her toes.

Hosha had to blink a few times to get over the fact she had been ditched, before she felt a hand on her cheek and turned to the worried face of her comrade.

Shisui inspected her cut with a critical eye and pulled out an adhesive bandage, raising it up to place on her cheek. Despite both of them knowing that it would heal over pretty quickly, Hosha allowed it so that Shisui could stop worrying.

"Thanks Shi, how about we go and find some food again, since I just took a few hours of our time?" Hosha offered as she gave him a bright grin. He nodded and the from behind the two of them Darui and Yarui shared smirks before joining them.

I~~~~I

Sashiko carefully wiped her blade, taking the blood that she had collected from Hosha. The blood smelt like iron and it almost made her feel lightheaded. She was collecting the sample of blood for Jiraiya, who had also ordered her to take it to the hospital and check it against their databases. She already knew what it had meant when he asked.

Could Hosha really be her sister? Could the girl really be Minato's daughter? She had always wondered what would have happened if she had been able to grow up with Naruto, but she had never thought that the girl might still be alive. Naruto had been the first death she had accepted, the first one she truly grasped to the fullest, even before her own father's death.

Sashiko sighed and quietly placed a cap on the vial of blood she had before cleaning off her blade more thoroughly. After sheathing the blade, she then started on her way to the hospital, taking it slow despite her urge to go faster. She wanted to know, she wanted to find out if Jiraiya and Kakashi were correct.

Looming before her was the large white and grey building with multiple rows of windows. She had spent a lot of time in Konoha's hospital both as a child and as a Shinobi, but never had she felt so tense and worried about her task here.

After Minato had fixed the academy, the first-year students had been forced to take basic first aide classes funded by the hospitals, and if they showed prowess, continue onto medical ninjutsu further into the academy on weekends. She had showed exceptional prowess due to her unique chakra and her Sharingan, which enabled her to see injuries more effectively. She had also gone into the science aspect of the hospital, helping out Orochimaru-Sensei with some of his projects that he left there.

Now she used that knowledge and her previous prowess to guide herself through the hospital to the labs down in the basement. With sparse greetings to some of the technicians along the way, Sashiko situated herself in the bio-lab where the bloodwork tended to be done. She placed down the unmarked vial as she started up the machine, before placing the sample on the tray to the side of the machine so that it would run its diagnostics on it and give her an accurate reading. She carefully placed the vial back in her pouch and let out a small sigh of relief. She just had to wait until the machine was done.

Looking around she noticed that the lab was rather sparse of people that day, which wasn't too surprising since the medical staff were probably being briefed on their stance in the Chunin Exams and what they were to do in the event of certain situations.

Soon, Sashiko would be joining them. She had already signed her apprenticeship over from Orochimaru to Tsunade after she became a Chunin, and form there she would move between them both with her main priority being on Tsunade until she became a Jonin and could move into T&I.

The machine let out a soft "ding" to let her know it was done, and she turned around to check the results. Her eyes widened a fraction as she saw what the machine said. She was too focused on the results to hear the two sets of footsteps making their way toward her, even if they were near silent.

"Sashiko, what are you doing down in the lab? You aren't supposed to be here till the end of the week." A voice called from behind her.

Sashiko whirled around, her hands pressing on the keyboard behind her as she frantically tried to delete the results without the person in front of her noticing. She knew that voice, and upon meeting the eyes of her teacher, she felt a weight drop in her chest.

"O-Oh, hi Orochimaru-Sensei! I was just running some tests…" She smiled at the man, just noticing Tsunade behind him. Tsunade was giving the screen behind her an odd look and she carefully removed her hands from the board, typing in the cancel command as she did so. The near-silent buzz from the machine told her it had succeeded and she withheld a sigh of relief.

"Sashiko, aren't you supposed to be at the Genin briefing?" Tsunade spoke up, and Sashiko froze as she thought about the meeting that Minato had issued.

"R-Right! Sorry, I have to run!" She shouted and rushed past the two. She was so thankful for that reminder because she knew if she had to stay any longer with Tsunade or Orochimaru, she would not be able to hide her nervousness and they would figure her out. She could hide form her mother, from Kushina, even from her siblings, but never from any of the Sannin, especially her godfather Orochimaru.

I~~~~I

Orochimaru stared after her estranged student, wondering what had her so jumpy. Sashiko only acted that way when she was trying to hide something from him.

"What was up with the Gaki?" Tsunade spoke from behind him, and he turned to look at what had Sashiko so enthralled before they walked in.

The screen for the blood analysis machine had just finished cancelling an order, an order run not even five minutes ago. Sashiko had spot-checked a sample against their database, and he was curious as to why. Looking over he checked the tray and saw that the girl had left part of the sample in the tray.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling this has something to do with it." Orochimaru said and ran the test again.

"She was checking a blood-sample? Why?" Tsunade asked as she looked down at the sample.

The two of them shared a look.

"There's only two people who can make that girl keep something from you Orochimaru." Tsunade reminded him, making him nod grimly.

"Either Kakashi-Kun has our Sashiko running around doing errands, or Jiraiya is causing trouble again." He said with a hint of annoyance, looking up as the machine let out a sound of completion.

The two looked at the screen and their eyes widened as the blood sample matched up to multiple signatures. On the screen picture not only Minato, but also Kushina, Menma, and another shinobi. Both Minato and Kushina had a 45% match, while Menma was around 24%, and the other shinobi, an Iwa Ninja from the Bomber Clan Rida, was a 40% match.

"Orochimaru, does this….?" Tsunade started as she looked at the matches.

Wordlessly Orochimaru stepped forward and ran the sample against those collected from the roster of Genin, both foreign and rural.

They watched as the sample popped up an exact match for one Iwatoshi Hosha Naruto, Heiress to the Iwatoshi clan and sister to Deidera Iwatoshi.

His eyes dissected the photo of the girl, taking in every detail as he matched it to the images of Namikaze and Kushina, as well as Namikaze's brat, Menma. He took a step back and showed the results to Tsunade.

"I think I know why she was trying to hide this from us, Tsunade." Orochimaru said, his eyes narrowed while he tried to piece what he just saw together.

There was no real explanation for why Iwatoshi Hosha would be matching with Kushina and Minato's blood, unless she happened to be of relation to them.

He needed more information, and he knew exactly where to go to find it.

Tsunade turned as he started to leave, her eyes also narrowed as she processed the information. "Where are you going?"

Orochimaru didn't stop or glance back as he started up the steps to the next level.

"I'm going to find our teammate and ask him about Iwatoshi Hosha and why she is related to Namikaze and Uzumaki." He stated, disappearing in a flurry of leaves.

I~~~~~I

 **Well first off, I'm sorry this update took so long. Recently it's been hard to write and I even took a break from Fanfiction all together. My friends and I have also started D &D nights on the weekend and I am the DM, so I have to manage all of them and that whole story on top of it all. Still, I really wanted to write this up after getting more into the story in my own campaign (Seriously, if you like making your own story or choose you own adventures, try out D&D, it is so fun!)**

 **Anyways, I hope to be putting out more updates. Saddly, SAN might take a bit longer to do just because I need to refresh my thoughts about it and remind myself where I was going. Thank you for your patience and for all the favorites and follow even while I've been absent!**


	19. Tau

Hosha had learned from a young age to not take blessings for granted. In this case, the blessing came in the form of the first exam of the Chunin Exams.

She had spent the better part of the last few days wandering around Konoha or practicing on the field that the Yondaime had given her team. She had been drowned in her own boredom as she tried and failed to think of better ways to occupy her time in foreign territory.

In the end, the day of the first task came upon her before she even knew it.

Shisui, Yarui, and Darui were all gathered at the Academy where they were supposed to check in, waiting for Hosha's team for the Chunin Exams.

Ikate and Hatori walked through the gates a minute before they would be allowed to head in, Deidara trailing behind the two in a graceful stride. His eyes scanned the grounds quickly before he located Hosha.

A small smile graced his features and he gestured her over.

Hosha wasted no time as she ran and launched herself into her brother's arms, hugging his waist as she let out a laugh.

"Hey Ni-San, come to see us off?" She asked him as she pulled away and looked up. Her eyes caught the light and Deidara had to stop himself from cooing at how cute she was.

"Yes, and to tell you to be safe. I know you can handle yourself, and that it won't just be you, but watch yourselves, okay?" He asked her, earning a sharp nod in return.

"Hai, Ni-San, we won't let you down!" She confirmed as her eyes met his and she formed a salute with her free arm.

Ikate and Hatori both walked up beside her, taking their positions as her guards. They had done it for many missions before this and would continue to do it for missions after.

Now, Hosha gestured to her other team and the group of six began to walk into the Konoha Academy. They started up the stairs to the third floor, ignoring the ruckus on the second floor, before coming out at the third floor.

As they walked onto the third floor corridor, they were greeted with the team of Genin they had run into not long ago.

There was the red-headed midget, the Uchiha that Hosha had somewhat befriended, and the pink haired Kunoichi.

"Well, what do you know." Ikate spoke up, cheekily smiling. He opened his mouth to rile the team as they tensed up. His antagonization was stopped by Hatori swiftly knocking him over the head with a calm slap.

"Shut it Ikate." Hatori said, casting his friend a withering glare while Hosha laughed at them.

"Well, it's good to see you all. Now, let's not die too see, neh? I do actually want to fight you…" Hosha said, looking past the others and their Sensei to stare at the Uchiha.

"Again, that is. I would like to see just how good you are." Hosha said to the boy, her voice dropping its dark tone before she straightened up and moved past the group of Genin. Her teams followed, Shisui, Yarui, and Darui all watching the others closely.

Hosha could feel the Sensei's eyes on her, the son of the White Fang gazing intently at her back. She didn't care. She wasn't afraid.

They entered the room and were greeted to multiple seats lined upwards in a podium-style, teams sitting down by each other and even some milling about on their feet. Immediately the atmosphere changed, the other Nin taking in the team of Iwa Genin.

Hosha calmly led her team to seats in the back that weren't filled, situating herself by the window and a vent above her. She also sat between Hatori and Ikate, and the others filled in beside them.

They took the time to observe the other teams, leading to Hosha wanting to sneer.

It seemed that Konoha wasn't the only village growing soft with their methods. Out of all the villages Hosha saw promise only in the Suna Teams, the Elder Konoha Teams, and the Ame Teams. Other than that, she wasn't worried.

Of course, there were new players, such as the Oto Team, but she knew that if it came down to it, she could always find a way out. Roshi would never have raised her to rely only on one sense or to not plan ahead given what you have.

The Suna Shinobi seemed to be the most dangerous to her, next to a team from Kusa, but there was just something off with that team. The Suna Shinobi were far more…feral. In fact, the smallest red head of the bunch felt a lot like Han and Roshi did to her.

It was very curious.

"Hey, looks like the Konoha Team doesn't know when to quit." Hatori whispered from beside her, gesturing to the crowd of Konoha Genin gathered at the door. They were drawing unnecessary attention to themselves by causing a ruckus.

Hosha sighed as she looked away from the group her children. She paused when her gaze settled on another Konoha Team, this one filling her with a sense of rivalry. The girl, Sashiko, was in this group with her two teammates. They were quietly conversing together as they observed their competition, behaving as ninja should.

Skilled though the other team may have been, especially the Uchiha, Hosha would rather fight Sashiko again. She had enjoyed their little banter and the girl's sharp wit. She would definitely be a force to be reckoned with if she lived to be a Jonin.

"Are you going to settle down so we can take the Exam, or are you all going to stand in the way?" A woman's voice called out, and Hosha was reminded of the woman she met at the ramen stand. She turned her attention to the front, and sure enough that same Kunoichi stood at the head.

She was surrounded by Chunin who all glared at the Genin causing a ruckus. Among them, the red head from the Uchiha's group seemed to freeze. He physically hauled his team to a seat at the front, trying to stay clear of the woman's glare.

"Hmm, familiar face….Red Hair…" Hosha muttered, glancing between the woman and the boy.

There was no way the two weren't related and guessing on the smile the woman hid from the boy and what she had told Hosha and her team…This must be the boy's mother.

"Yay…" Hosha sighed, earning her looks form Hatori and Ikate while her other team picked up on what she had just discovered.

"Alright worms, it's time for your first Exam. Take a seat, and if you move you are out of here! Now then…The First Exam will start shortly, right now I need to you all to come down, one team at a time as your name is called, and then pick a number from this hat!" The Kunoichi called, holding up a bandana with strips of paper inside.

"Afterwards I'll explain the rest." She said, and one by one each team was called down.

It was a little hilarious that amongst the simple, "Team 10 from Konoha!" there was also "Team Overkill from Iwa!". It was amusing to watch people stare at her team in wonder about their odd name. Then of course came her and her brother's team.

"Team Rewind from Iwa!" The name was called and Hosha could hear gears turning as she walks down ahead of the others. She stopped and drew from the hat, meeting the Kunoichi's eyes as she saw the spark of familiarity enter. She pulled it out and looked down, her eyes sifting over the characters scrawled on the front. A map, or a piece of one. This was going to be interesting.

She started back up as Hatori and Ikate grabbed their pieces, the three taking their seats as the last few teams were called down.

They all placed down their papers and found that they were connected to each other, laying out to form a wall and what looked to be a city street. If Hosha had to guess, this was a scavenger hunt in Konoha, and in order to find what they needed to advance, they had to take other parts of the maps around them.

Hosha smirked and leaned back in her chair, memorizing the pieces of her map as she handed them off to Ikate. He hit them on his person as she observed the others and took in their pieces of the map.

She was glad she took the high ground now.

"Alright, now that everyone has their piece, I'll explain the agenda. You were all given slips of a map that was torn apart. There are only 15 full copies, so if you want to get the item marked on them and advance to the next test, you'll have to steal or share them with others. After finding the item you are to return to this room and present it to a proctor. No killing this first round, and it starts…Now!" The woman called out and Hosha was out the window without a word. She felt Hatori and Ikate at her back as several teams followed their lead.

This was going to be good.

I~~~~I

Sashiko stood still in the room as the rest of the teams left. Well, most of them left. A Team of Suna Nin and a Team of Oto Nin had stayed behind. The two were currently fighting for their pieces and hadn't noticed that there was another team left over.

Sighing, Sashiko raised her hand as she looked down at the two teams.

"Blood Style, Blood Bindings." She called, not caring as they two teams were wrapped up under her binds. They cried out but couldn't stop her or her teammates as they looted their bodies. Ken held up the maps, away from the prying eyes, and they pieced them together as they figured out where they should go next. Outside several teams were fighting, while others were sneaking away to find what was on there maps.

Based on the nine sheets of paper, of only which one was a duplicate, Sashiko found the spot that was marked with the item.

"There we go." She spoke, before signing to Sai.

"Market District?" She questioned.

"The Western. Dongo Shop." Sai replied quickly, his ease and practice with the language rather odd for one his age.

Sashiko nodded and they gathered the papers together, before they left.

I~~~~I

"You want to what?" Sakura asked her teammates, watching them from where they were positioned in their tree.

Menma help up a finger to silence her as he looked down below at the other teams, his eyes focused on the map they were piecing together.

"Follow them. Then we snatch the item and take it back." Menma whispered.

Sasuke nodded as he gripped a couple Kunai, watching the group closely.

"You and I can trap them in a Genjutsu, Haruno, and then we can go in and knock them out. Simple, swift, and easy." Sasuke spoke.

Sakura sighed and nodded, gulping as she readied some of her ninja wire. It would come in handy.

The team jolted up and started to shoot towards the next spot, leaving behind their map. Sasuke spared one moment to light it on fire as Team Seven dropped down, before they bolted after their victims, giving chase.

I~~~~I

Minato looked out of the village. He could see the teams running around his beloved home, causing ruckus but being sure to behave were civilians were concerned. For the most part, Civilians treaded like normal. This was a test, after all, and they had seen and been through worse.

Minato's focus was on more than just the First Exam, however. It showed too, in the way his eyes darted to find a spec of the one who he had seen earlier. He had asked Kushina to keep an eye out for the girl, but he hadn't told her why.

He wasn't sure how his wife would take it if Hosha was what Minato thought. The problem was, how? She hadn't been found, he had traced his steps and struggled to locate his baby girl, and for her to have been in Iwa all these years, it was an odd thought.

He would wait and see. He would figure it out, and when he did…He would ask Hosha.

For now though, he had his own duties to attend to. He needed to prepare for the next events and make sure that Jiraya and Orochimaru had set everything up correctly.

A knock sounded on the door, and Minato turned to let them in.

"Come in." He said, watching the door closely. His ANBU were nearby so he wasn't really worried.

The door opened to reveal Michiko and Shikaku. The two looked a little worn, Michiko especially.

"The first Exam went off without a hitch. Kushina is really enjoying watching them scramble to get what they need." Michiko spoke up as she walked straight to the couch.

Customary to her whenever she had a bad day, the woman dropped onto the couch, bouncing only a bit before she stretched out.

Minato sighed at the woman, smiling softly. He rather enjoyed her quirks, as annoying as some of them could be.

Shikaku laughed at her, his chuckles relaxing the tension in Minato's shoulders.

His friends were there for him. He knew he could trust them. But, could he trust them with something like this? Would they call him crazy for wanting, for hoping?

Minato didn't want to face brutal dismissal, but he also didn't want to lie to his advisors, his friends.

His decision made, Minato leaned on his desk and faced them, clearing his throat. He flashed his chakra and activated the privacy seals in his room, the ANBU flickering out of his presence.

Michiko sat up as she and Shikaku grew serious.

"What is it, Minato?" Michiko asked, her voice soft and low.

Minato reached around and tugged out the file he had been looking at, tossing it over to Shikaku.

"I want you to hear me out completely." He told them.

Michiko hopped up to join Shikaku, the two looking over Iwatoshi Hosha's file. Their eyes scanned it briefly before they looked back at him.

"I think…" Minato began, before stealing himself.

"I believe that I may have found Naruto."

I~~~~I

 **There we go. I finally got this chapter up. I hope you guys enjoy.**


	20. Upsilon

The Exams had started out simple enough. For Hosha, the task ahead seemed trivial. She and her teammates merely narrowed down the possibilities for where the items they needed would be, using the clues they had from their maps and the others that they had gathered by defeating multiple teams. They grabbed their item, a scroll sealed with blood, and started back. Unlike the others who just ran ahead without much thought as to what would be waiting for them, Hosha and her team returned with a plan in mind.

Hatori cast a Genjutsu to cover them as they made their way through the throngs of teams battling it out at the base of the classroom, each of the teams wanting to get the chance to steal the prized items other teams had grabbed.

They went by without trouble, landing in the classroom to find two teams already there. The Elder Konoha Team, Team 5, was there playing cards. Other than them there was one of the Suna Teams, the one with the red head. None of them had any scratches on them, though that wasn't really that odd.

Hosha walked toward the proctor, showing her their scroll as Hatori dropped the Genjutsu. Strangely enough, both of the teams had tensed when they entered, sensing them despite not being able to see them. Hosha supposed it wasn't too odd, however, considering that Sashiko had the Sharingan. Still, she was reluctantly impressed by their skills. The proctor also saw through their Genjutsu, her eyes flashing to them when they entered.

That wasn't too surprising, and oddly enough, it made Hosha want to try harder as the woman, Kushina she remembered, smirked at her.

"Well, good job. Just hand that over and we'll be done." She said.

Hosha tilted her head and instead slid the scroll into her belt.

"You said we just had to show it to you, not that we had to turn it in," Hosha confirmed, watching Kushina carefully. The Kunoichi chuckled and nodded.

"Smart. Well, you keep that then." She said and turned toward the window.

Hosha hummed as she walked back to where her team had been, wary of any traps as they sat down.

Hatori sighed and kicked up his legs, Ikate following his motions.

Hosha flopped over onto her side, resting her head on Hatori's lap without a word.

"I am so tired…" She muttered, snuggling into the cushion she had created. Hatori merely chuckled and reached down to run his hands through her hair.

While they seemed laid back they were still on edge, but they didn't make it this far in their career constantly staying stressed and not taking a break.

Ikate huffed as he cast a glare to Hatori over stealing her, pulling up her legs to lay them across his lap.

"Well you haven't slept in awhile and you did take down two teams on your own. I told you to let us handle them but you insisted. What good are we as teammates if you never let us do anything?" The boy said, a faint pout appearing on his lips.

Hosha chuckled as she stretched out, closing her eyes as she cast a hand over them.

"They weren't worth your time. I wasn't about to let you take out worms. Especially that Team from Kusa. I thought they made better Shinobi than that." Hosha said, a mocking edge to her voice.

"You say that like you're surprised Hosha. We both know they haven't been doing well." Hatori spoke up quietly as he ran his fingers through her hair, enjoying the silkiness. He rather enjoyed being able to do this, since Deidara hardly even got to play with his little sister's hair.

"Hmm true. Could be worse though, they could be like Taki. Poor thing barely has any Genin, to begin with." Hosha said, opening her eyes slowly.

"Then again…" She muttered, thinking about Iwa.

Recently, there weren't many kids graduating. Tensions had run high in the last war and they had to send unfit Genin into the field when they should have been safe in the village. The Genin were slaughtered easily in the strife, and the population of Iwa had never been the same since.

They were coming back, but the recent destruction of the Bomber Clan and the lowering of the Genin Corps in Iwa were causing a fluctuation and shortage in the teams available. Soon the Jonin Population would start to drop as well as the Shinobi died off and not enough Shinobi were there to replace them.

It seemed that the only villages that didn't have this problem were Kumo and Konoha. The two villages were a step ahead of Iwa, and even more ahead of every other village.

Hosha loved Iwa, but even she knew that without establishing a bond, Iwa would decline. The Tsuchikage was trying his best, but he needed support. This move, to accept Konoha's invitation to the Chunin Exams was a move in that direction.

If the people could accept it, then an alliance with Konoha could easily benefit them. They just had to show the people that it was for the best, even it was effectively dismissing their hatred and their sorrow.

"Are you okay?" Hatori asked her, seeing how lost in thought she had gotten.

Hosha nodded slowly, her eyes sharpening. She had to do her best. She had to pass and get to the end, or she wouldn't make it and she wouldn't be able to change anything. She would do her best, so that her village could grow, could survive.

Deidara had once told her that the action of one can seem useless faced with the actions of many, but in true the many would not be so without the actions of that one.

"Yes. We are going to push through, no matter what." Hosha said firmly.

She was thinking of Iwa here, not of herself.

I~~~~I

Shisui sighed as he looked down. Darui had captured their targets in his traps, and currentl, he and Yarui were removing them of their weapons and their valuables, including the two scrolls they had stolen from other teams.

Looking down at the Kusa Nin that was yelling at them for being unfair, Shisui wanted to hit his head on the tree. They were Shinobi, there was no such thing as fairness, let alone allowance. They were Shinobi, they did not care for rules or regulations.

"Yarui, Darui, let's g," Shisui said, dropping down. He reached out for them, the two taking hold of his wrists. They vanished in a blur, appearing suddenly in the room where the Exam had been explained to them.

The proctor turned to them, her eyes flashing with something as Shisui waved the scrolls they had and then turned to march up to the top.

Unsurprisingly, Hosha's team was laid out up there, Hosha resting on Hatori and Ikate while the two males spoke quietly to her.

Hosha perked up when they entered and was angled to see them. A smile twisted over her lips and she almost launched from the laps of her comrades, her agile grace kicking in as she dropped down in front of them, maneuvering through desks and her teammates with ease.

"Oh, you got two! Nice." She spoke up, grinning at them.

It eased Shisui's heart to see the girl smiling, his thoughts wandering back to the broken girl he had seen before when she had told them what she was. It was a nice change of pace to see her back to her normal self.

"Yeah. They were different so we figured it was worth it to get both." He said, and he handed the two back to each of his teammates. They stored them away as Hosha grabbed on to Shisui's arm and hauled him up the steps.

Ikate's eyes narrowed at the behavior and he sat up. Hatori cast him a sideways glance, causing him to pause. The green-haired teen's lips twisted and he sat back, his eyes narrowed on Shisui. He did not like how close the two were.

He didn't speak up about his displeasure and instead watched the boy carefully as Hosha sat down beside the boy, a smile spreading across her face. She hadn't smiled that way in a while.

Ikate was rather annoyed that it took someone like Shisui, another guy, to make Hosha smile like she didn't have to worry anymore.

He supposed he should deal with it though, because she needed support too, even from someone he did not like. Sighing, he looked away, ignoring the gaze Hatori sent his way.

He'd deal with it as it came, he didn't quite want to face his problems just yet.

I~~~~I

Menma groaned as he dropped into the desk, finally finished with the first Exam. His mother was chuckling at the front of the room where she held multiple scrolls that people had given her. Sasuke held on to theirs as he dropped beside Menma and Sakura followed suit, confusion crossing her features.

She no doubt was wondering why they didn't turn their scroll in, and Menma wasn't really inclined to tell her. He had just been buried under ground and had to tunnel his way out while Sasuke and Sakura dodged multiple projectiles. It had not been fun.

Looking up, Menma took in the room. He caught Sashiko waving at him, and he felt himself relax at seeing her safe. He noticed the other rookies, another team from Konoha, several Suna Teams, two Kusa Teams, two Oto Teams, one Team from Taki, and the two Iwa Teams.

Menma was a little annoyed that the Iwa Nin made it, but he also felt like it was good since he would be able to get back at them for what they did to his Ni-Chan.

He was feeling vengeful, and he knew that he had multiple ways to get back at them.

Still, he wondered about how he would do it. He already knew from Sasuke that the girl, Hosha, was different. She didn't break under torture, she hardly even lost her spirit. The girl had looked Kakashi in the face, dealt with his Genjutsu prison, and come out of it with more strength then before.

She was built out of tougher stuff that most shinobi and Menma begrudgingly was impressed by it. He had been shocked before, and he had collapsed in less that ten seconds. She had withstood multiple shocks, had stared down Kakashi as she was shocked repeatedly until she fell unconscious.

Menma frowned as he looked her over, wondering how she did it. It just wasn't natural. Not even his father could do what she did, at least he couldn't without a special technique, but the girl had been bound and-

He froze. Blue eyes met his own and a smirk twisted across Hosha's lips as she met him head on. Her pupils were slit and filled with mirth, tearing into his very soul.

He couldn't think, couldn't breathe.

He _knew_ that look. He had seen it in his dreams.

Menma turned away sharply, his breathing quickening as he stared down at the desk.

There was no way that that _thing_ had anything to do with the Iwa Kunoichi. There was just no way that _that_ would be tied to her….right?

"Me-"

Could she be linked to those nightmares, to the ones that startled him out of his sleep and left him shivering in terror?

"Me-ma!"

There just was no way. She couldn't be related to the fo-

Menma jolted when someone grabbed his shoulder. He reached up to grab the wrist, to defend himself, before he looked up into Sasuke's eyes. He froze and suddenly realized Sasuke was trying to get his attention.

His breathing was rushed and he felt like the room was spinning.

Sasuke squeezed his arm and started to exaggerate his breathing, guiding Menma's shoulders. Menma focused on the movement, the up and down rhythm. He copied it, shifting as he felt the stress seep away.

Several minutes of just breathing passed by before the white noise of the other teams discussing things came back and the sound of Sasuke's voice was no longer muffled by Menma's own terror.

"Hey, you alright?" He whispered, staying quiet. He had shifted, shielding Menma from the gazes of the other teams.

Menma shook himself, clearing the last bit of jitters as he nodded.

"Y-Yeah…I'm okay." He said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sasuke nodded, carefully removing his hand.

"Kushina was about the tell us about the next Exam, but she got called away. We have to wait for the next proctor."

Sasuke informed him, and Menma nodded meekly.

"Okay." He said.

Over Menma's shoulder, Sakura cast a worried glance at Sasuke, directing her worry for Menma at him.

Sasuke nodded sharply at her, and she reached to rub Menma's back as he sat back.

They stayed quiet, ignoring the noise around them as they focused on Menma.

They weren't sure what had spooked him, but whatever it was, they didn't want it to happen again.

I~~~~I

Orochimaru stood in the lab, staring at the results from the lab. His lips were set in a firm line as he stared at the results.

Iwatoshi Hosha Naruto. To think…all this time the girl had been in Iwa. That the Namikaze's eldest brat had been right under their nose this entire time, hiding in plain sight as a Kunoichi of their enemy.

"Tsunade, what is it?" Orochimaru heard her voice before he saw Kushina. Tagging along behind her was Minato, and in front of them was Tsunade.

Tsunade looked up at him as they approached, nodding as she handed the problem off to him.

Off in the corner was Jiraya, stiff and uncomfortable. Ever since Orochimaru hunted the man down he had been reluctant, and after showing him the results he had been even more reluctant to tell Minato the truth.

They all knew how hard it was for Minato and Kushina to accept her death, but to give them hope, to tell them that Naruto hadn't died that night?

It would be tough, but Orochimaru wasn't about to leave them in the dark. He didn't like Minato or Kushina much, he didn't agree with a lot of their methods, but he did care for Michiko, and she wanted nothing more then to give the two closure.

"Orochimaru-San? Jiraiya-Sensei?" Minato spoke, looking them both over in confusion.

It was indeed an odd sight to see all of them together. For all that Orochimaru _cherished_ his teammates, he much preferred Tsunade's company to Jiraiya's, and Minato knew that from experience.

"Minato-San. I believe it's wise we just let you see it for yourself before we explain anything." Orochimaru spoke, turning to the side so they could see the test results. Kushina opened her mouth to snark at him, no doubt about using their blood samples, but froze when she saw that their image was paired with three others.

There were Minato and Kushina, just about a 50% match, then Menma, who was around a 25% match, Raida of the Bomber Clan at 40%, and finally, Iwatoshi Hosha, the giver of the sample.

Minato stepped forward before he pushed past Orochimaru to take in the full screen. Orochimaru stepped aside to let him, watching as Kushina dragged along behind him.

"Recently, Iwatoshi Hosha faced off against young Hatake's Team and Tenzo's Team. It was on that mission Tenzo discovered that the girl carried something unique to only a select few…She had the chakra of a Jinchurikki," Orochimaru began, watching the two carefully.

"They informed my bumbling teammate, coming to several conclusions. Not wanting to inspire false hope Jiraiya asked my apprentice to gather a sample to cross examine with Hosha's own. She was unable to hide the test from Tsunade andme…And this was the result." He finished.

Orochimaru examined the two parents carefully, watching as Kushina teared up and Minato pressed a hand to the screen.

"S-so…This m-means?" Minato started, stumbling over his words as his voice caught.

"Yes, Iwatoshi Hosha Naruto is actually Namikaze Naruto. How we aren't sure, but the proof is there. I doubt that Iwa knows this, or she wouldn't be here or even alive at this point. I think, that night, she was taken away to the Bomber Clan where they adopted her as one of their own. One thing I am not sure of, however, is how she matches with Raida of Iwa." Orochimaru said, glancing back at the data.

"T-that's…That doesn't matter too much. It's her, it is really her…O-Oh Kushina, our baby girl…" Minato spoke, looking to his wife. Kushina had her hand lifted to her mouth as she started to cry, and the two rushed to each other in an embrace.

Orochimaru sighed, feeling rather crappy about having to interrupt the moment. He wasn't heartless, he knew that times like these called for affection if one was to survive. He also knew, however, that sometimes you have to point out the obstacles before people think everything is okay again.

"You can't forget that she won't know this. To her, you aren't her parents…And you will have to fight to get her to see you as such. It will be hard and you still have to find out how to break it to her." Orochimaru said.

Jiraiya sighed and looked away as he pitched in.

"The Teme is right. You will have to do it carefully and in an environment, she is comfortable in. If you do it any other way she will deny it and deny you. Invite her over after the second Exam, let her bring along a friend or two that she trusts, and do it carefully. Let her see the results and think about it herself. Don't force anything on her, it'll end badly. Then,..." Jiraiya looked up at Tsunade, not wanting to say it.

"Give her space," Tsunade said, looking at her adopted Niece and he Hokage.

"Give her time to comprehend and leave her alone to figure it out herself Minato, Kushina. Give her time to decide where she wants to go. You can't force her into anything, no matter how much it hurts." She finished, closing her eyes tiredly.

Minato and Kushina looked at each other, and though Kushina looked like it hurt her to think about it, she nodded at him.

Closing his own eyes, Minato thought about his torment over the years, the nights spent wanting nothing more than to hold his baby girl.

He could wait, even if he didn't want to, he could wait just a little while longer to have her in his arms. Before it was a fantasy, now it could be a reality.

"O-Okay. We can do it. W-We will." He said softly, clutching Kushina to him.

It would be hard, but he knew they could do it.

Now, they just had to figure out how to break it to Menma.

I~~~~I

 **I wanted to make this chapter longer, but at the same time, I knew this was the part where it should end. This opens up the next part of the story and gives me grounds to work on. Everything is tying together and soon it will all come to fruition. I can't wait, because I have been waiting to write this part since I started this. Ever since I read the original story I adopted from Vangran, this image has been in my head, and I can't wait to show it.**


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